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(New York, NY) – Should the New York Mets reunite with a longtime friend?
The Arizona Diamondbacks are releasing veteran reliever Jeurys Familia, per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Familia had been informed by the club that he would not make the Opening Day roster, so they’ll cut him loose a day early, giving him some extra time to latch on with a new organization.
Familia, 33, had a strong spring, pitching six innings of one-run ball, allowing just three hits, one walk, while compiling four strikeouts. The results apparently weren’t enough for him to make the team, so he’ll instead return to the free-agent market.
Enter the New York Mets?
In 10 seasons in Queens (over two stints), Familia finished with 124 saves across 467 1/3 innings, pitching in a number of high leverage situations. He closed games during the Mets 2015 NL Pennant winning season, and served as New York’s stopper for several seasons. With Edwin Diaz presumably out for the season, a third stint could be in the cards.
As solid as Familia was this spring, he’s coming off the worst season of his career. In 44 1/3 innings between the Phillies and Red Sox, Familia was tagged for an ugly 6.09 ERA. His days closing out games may be over, but his arm could be a useful addition to the right bullpen.
The 2016 All-Star boasts a 3.51 ERA, 125 saves, 70 holds and a 24.4% strikeout rate in 543 big league frames.
