CINCINNATI, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 22: Brad Brach #29 of the New York Mets pitches in the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on September 22, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
(Photo by Bryan Woolston/Getty Images)

The New York Mets bring back a much-needed bullpen piece in right-handed pitcher Brad Brach, according to Ken Rosenthal. 

Kyle Newman

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the New York Mets have agreed to a contract with free-agent reliever Brad Brach.

Brach’s signed a one-year deal with a player option for the 2021 season and will only make $850,000 for the 2020 season. That’s a steal for the Mets.

Brach was excellent in his short time with the team in 2019. He pitched to a 3.68 ERA, 2.67 FIP, 9.2 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9.

For a Mets team that is desperate for bullpen help, this contract is a boon. They get to return a potential top-end reliever for next to nothing.

Brach was an elite reliever from 2012-2018 for the San Diego Padres, Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves. He joined the Chicago Cubs in 2019 and put forth an uncharacteristically awful season. Brach was released by the Cubs in August and signed with the Mets.

Playing for the Mets was a boyhood dream for Brach. He grew up a huge Mets fan in Freehold Township, NJ. Brach has discussed his Mets fandom on multiple occasions.

The best story though revolves around the 2015 World Series. Brach told John Healy of SNY that he attended game three of the 2015 world series with his two brothers.

I had a great time,” Brach said about his Mets fandom. “When David Wright hit that home run that was probably one of the best baseball moments I’ve had regardless of on the field or whatnot.”

Many Mets’ fans would agree with Brach’s sentiment. However, it’s amazing that Brach ranks Wright’s home runs so highly. Brach pitched in ALCS in 2014, yet he calls Wright’s home run one of his best baseball moments. That speaks to how huge a Mets’ fan Brach is.

It’s likely that Brach’s love for the team is why he took such a cheap contract to return. He gets to live out his boyhood dream for another year. Who wouldn’t want that?

A contributor here at elitesportsny.com. I'm a former graduate student at Loyola University Chicago here I earned my MA in History. I'm an avid Mets, Jets, Knicks, and Rangers fan. I am also a prodigious prospect nerd and do in-depth statistical analysis.