You can never have enough bullpen options, and the Mets, like every other team during the offseason, searched far and wide to find some intriguing pitchers that they could sign and try out in spring training. One of those options is Nick Burdi, a former second-round draft pick who is looking to rebuild his career after undergoing thoracic outlet surgery and a second Tommy John Surgery within the past few years. He’s enjoyed some limited success in recent season, which he will be looking to parlay
into a spot in the Mets’ bullpen.
Burdi, a 33-year-old right-hander from Hinsdale, Illinois, was a standout Downers Grove South High School. He was a quarterback on the football team while also sporting a 95 miles-per-hour fastball. After garnering attention for his athletic prowess, he entered the draft straight out of high school with dreams of getting selected in the higher rounds, but fell to the 24th round. Instead of signing, he opted to go to college, where he excelled as a closer at the University of Louisville, posting a 0.78 ERA in 34 2/3 innings as a sophomore and a 0.49 ERA in 37 innings as a junior.
Those numbers helped him climb 22 rounds in the 2014 draft, where he was taken 46th overall by the Twins—the same team that took him in 2011—and Burdi was quickly tagged as a top prospect. He never did appear in a game for Minnesota, however, and he was eventually taken by the Phillies in the Rule V draft and immediately traded to the Pirates, for whom he made his major league debut in 2018. After two appearances that season, he made the team out of spring training in 2019 and appeared in 11 games for Pittsburgh, allowing nine earned runs on 11 hits, with 17 strikeouts and three walks over 8 2/3 innings. He was sent down in April, and he eventually underwent thoracic outlet surgery in June, which cut his season short. He made three appearances for the club in 2020, but eventually underwent Tommy John Surgery, an operation he also had in May 2017.
He missed all of 2021 while he recovered and was signed by the Padres ahead of the 2022 season, but he never made the team. Burdi eventually landed with the Cubs in 2023, where he allowed three earned runs in three outings before electing free agency at year’s end. His journey brought him to New York, where he signed with the Yankees. He enjoyed his most success at the big league level with the Bronx Bombers, posting a 1.86 ERA with 12 strikeouts over a career-high 9 2/3 innings. He finished the year with a career-best 0.3 bWAR after those 12 outings. He was fairly successful last year with the Red Sox, pitching 5 1/3 scoreless innings, with five strikeouts and two walks. He finished 2025 with a 0.2 bWAR with Boston.
The Mets signed Burdi early on in the offseason, the same day they also signed Robert Stock, Anderson Severino, and Jose Ramos as NRIs. The hard-throwing Burdi will get a chance to prove himself this spring, and given his recent track record and his former “top prospect” status, there is potentially some chance that he can make the roster. The bullpen, as it stands now, is fairly malleable and does have some spots that are left to be decided by the top performers this spring.
It’s far more likely that the 33-year-old Burdi will begin the year in Triple-A, if he accepts his post-spring assignment, and could find his way up to Citi Field later in the year if there are any injuries. But players like Burdi are never bad to have in Triple-A, and he could see some action for the club in 2026.
