Mets agree to sign RHP Shintaro Fujinami, close to an agreement with LHP Jake Diekman
Diekman would join Brooks Raley on the left side of the Mets bullpen in 2024, while the Mets hope to reel in Fujinami's control issues
The Mets are taking a low-risk gamble on a big arm with control problems for their bullpen, having agreed to sign RHP Shintaro Fujinami to a one-year, $3.35 million contract, according to the New York Post.
Fujinami, 29, had a generally miserable rookie season in 2023, splitting his time between the A’s and Orioles. He posted a 7.18 ERA and -2.1 bWAR over 64 appearances between the two clubs, allowing 45 walks and seven hit batsmen over 79 innings of relief.
Fujinami has elite fastball velocity along with a splitter and a cutter with his cutter serving has his most effective pitch in 2023, inducing a 38.2% swing and miss rate on that pitch in his rookie season. He pitched to an 8.57 ERA before the A’s moved him to the Orioles, at which point Fujinami showed signs of improvement, pitching to a 4.85 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 29.2 IP the rest of the way.
So, the Mets will clearly be trying to reign in Fujinami’s command problems which would improve the effectiveness of his primary pitches and make him a better swing-and-miss option late in games - his fastball averaged 98.5 mph in 2023, according to FanGraphs.
The Mets will have the ability to option Fujinami to the minors if he is not effective, says the New York Post.
In addition, with the Mets in need of another left-handed reliever for their bullpen, the club is nearing an agreement to sign LHP Jake Diekman, according to multiple reports.
The Athletic was first to report the two sides were close to an agreement.
Diekman, 36, had a whirlwind of a season in 2023, getting off to a horrible start with the White Sox after he posted a 7.94 ERA in his first 13 appearances before being moved to the Tampa Bay Rays in early May. He then turned his season around, pitching to a 2.18 ERA over 50 appearances with 53 strikeouts in 43.1 IP the rest of the way.
The left-hander though posted reverse splits in 2023 - left-handed hitters posted a .663 OPS while right-handed hitters a .524 OPS.
Diekman doesn’t allow a lot of hard contact despite not having elite velocity. The Rays de-emphasized Diekman’s sweeper, a pitch that was causing him a ton of trouble in Chicago, and re-emphasized his four-seam fastball with a high degree of success.
He began his career in 2012 and has a 3.82 lifetime ERA over 12 well-traveled seasons with the Phillies, Rangers, Diamondbacks, Royals, A’s, Red Sox, White Sox and Rays.
Diekman will join Brooks Raley as the second major league left-handed reliever in the Mets bullpen.
The Mets had also expressed interest in LHP Brad Hand and/or LHP Aaron Loup, according to the New York Post.