Jay Bruce

Mets scouting Jose Arredondo as lower priced pen option

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:13 p.m. ET

Fansided, Emmanuel Pepis/FanSided via Rising Apple

Mets looking for potentially more affordable options with no Bruce deal in place.

The New York Mets’ hunt for a more complete bullpen continues and no surprise, they’re looking at potentially cheaper options. One name that popped up is former Angels and Reds reliever, Jose Arredondo.

The 32-year-old was last seen in the majors in 2012 with Cincinnati where he went 6-2 with a 2.95 ERA. Though it hasn’t been a very long career at the MLB level to date, Arredondo has put together a very respectable career. In his first season in the bigs, Arredondo won 10 games and posted a 1.62 ERA over 61 innings with the Angels.

In his major league career, Arredondo has a mark of 22-11 with a 3.27 ERA. In 220.0 innings worked over that span, he has 212 strikeouts to 110 walks. He has one career save in the bigs which came in 2012.

The Mets are obviously still trying to plan accordingly in case Jeurys Familia does get handed a suspension. The move for bullpen help and the trading of Jay Bruce were tied at the hip. Now with the Mets scoping out Arredondo, they’re looking for fallback options at a much lower price tag to try to help strengthen the pen.

Since his last MLB appearance nearly five years ago, Arredondo has bounced around quite a bit. He spent last season with the York Revolution of the Atlantic League. He had Tommy John surgery in 2010, which slowed his career track, but Arredondo is committed to showing teams he’s ready to help a bullpen now.

Arredondo has fought issues with walks throughout his career, averaging 4.0 walks per nine innings across all levels. A 6’0” right-hander, he has a fastball that registers in the low 90s and a splitter, which is his out pitch. If Familia is suspended, Arredondo could see himself in some even higher leverage situations should the Mets take the chance.

All this says that while the Mets haven’t given up on trading Bruce, there’s nothing on the immediate horizon. Hence why Sandy Alderson is searching for a bargain.