New York Mets sign free agent reliever Trevor May (Report)

The New York Mets have reportedly come to terms with free-agent reliever Trevor May. He’s one of the best on the market. 

Andy Martino of SNY is reporting that the New York Mets have come to an agreement with Trevor May. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com was the first to mention discussions were serious.

Sources: The Mets are deep in talks with free-agent reliever Trevor May. The former Twin ranked seventh in MLB with 14.66 K/9 this season, to compliment a 3.86 ERA. May has a 3.19 mark since returning from Tommy John surgery in 2018.

This is not a done deal, but there is smoke.

— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) December 1, 2020

https://twitter.com/martinonyc/status/1333856875729870848

May coming to the Mets makes sense. He was very outspoken about the impact that Mets’ pitching coach Jeremy Hefner had on him in Minnesota. Not to mention, the Mets were no doubt desperate to add another strong reliever to their bullpen.

May isn’t a stud closer, but he’s a good seventh or eighth-inning guy. Over the past three seasons, May’s posted a 3.19 ERA, 3.56 FIP, 12.2 K/9, and 3.00 BB/9. He was in the 99th percentile in whiff rate in 2020.

May is a phenomenal addition to the backend of the Mets bullpen. With Jeurys Familia, Dellin Betances, and Edwin Diaz returning as big question marks, they needed a stable addition. May will be that guy. He also helps replace the presence of Justin Wilson whose contract ended after the 2020 season.

May joins Sam McWilliams as additions to the bullpen. It’s clear that Sandy Alderson views that as a key weakness for the Mets, and it’s hard to blame him. The last time the Mets finished a season with a bullpen ERA 15th or better was 2016, which happens to be the last time they made the playoffs.

The Mets have yet to make that big splash that everyone expected when Steve Cohen bought the team. Still, it’s hard to be disappointed at this point. Alderson has made strong moves while he tries to hire a general manager before making any major moves. This has been an impressive start to Alderson’s second stint with the Mets.