When the Mets signed AJ Minter in January, the hope was that he would become a key member of the bullpen they had been missing: an effective lefty reliever. He had been great in Atlanta for his entire
career up to this point, holding a 3.28 ERA with 422 strikeouts in 348 2/3 innings since his debut in 2017. The signing was applauded as a good move to improve a bullpen that struggled at times the previous season and was missing a southpaw to get crucial lefty bats out in the late innings. The signing did come with some risk, since the 31-year-old was sidelined with a hip injury for some time in the 2024 season.
Minter seemed like the answer to their prayers until he injured his lat in a game in late April against the Nationals. In 11.0 innings pitched he had a 1.64 ERA and 14 strikeouts. After he went down, the team was hoping to rely on Danny Young, the other lefty in the bullpen. But shortly thereafter, he too got injured and required Tommy John surgery in early May. The team did get a boost when Brooks Raley returned from Tommy John and when David Stearns acquired Gregory Soto at the trade deadline to fill the roles of the lefty reliever, but the bullpen as a whole remained a sore spot for the team. Minter’s ability to be a set-up man and step in as a closer were sorely missed throughout the season.
From May 1 to the end of the season, the bullpen had a 4.11 ERA which was good for 19th in the league. Their biggest issue was the sixth inning where the team had a 5.11 ERA. In the seventh it slightly improved to 4.28 but it is still not exactly what you are looking for when it gets late into games. Had Minter been healthy, it would have given Carlos Mendoza a little more flexibility when navigating the later innings and perhaps things look different at the end of the season.
Back in January, Minter signed a two-year deal worth $22 million so he does have one more year left on his contract. He does have an opt-out but after his injury it is unlikely he will use it. He underwent surgery in May to repair the lat and he should be ready for spring training in 2026. Hopefully, next season he will remain healthy and bring some stability to the bullpen that has been missing over the past couple of years.
