While the focus surrounding the New York Mets has been on who the next manager will be, the team is busy working on the roster for 2018.
The New York Mets hold team options on several players for the 2018 season, and they have made a decision about at least one of them. Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports that the Mets have decided to pick up the $6.5 million option on relief pitcher Jerry Blevins.
The move doesn’t come as a surprise, as Blevins was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise awful season for the Mets and specifically, the team’s bullpen. He went 6-0 with a 2.94 ERA in relief, holding left-handed hitters to a .197 batting average, an important role in a division with hitters like Washington’s Bryce Harper and Atlanta’s Freddie Freeman.
Blevins has pitched to a 2.72 ERA with three saves in the three seasons he’s spent with the Mets after being acquired from the Washington Nationals for outfielder Matt den Dekker, although he only pitched five innings in 2015 due to injury.
Blevins has been excellent during his tenure, with a 2.72 ERA with the team, along with three saves.
Heyman also reports that although the team has not fully decided whether to pick up their option on veteran infielder Asdrubal Cabrera, it is likely that they will due to the injury concerns associated with David Wright.
Cabrera famously requested a trade during the season after being moved away from shortstop, although he later rescinded that request and accepted his role as the team’s third baseman.
Cabrera has spent the past two seasons with the Mets after signing as a free agent. He hit for identical .280 batting averages in each season, although his home run total dropped from 23 in 2016 to 14 in 2017.
