Mets retain Adam Ottavino on a two-year contract with an opt-out

Ottavino posted a 2.06 ERA in 66 appearances for the Mets in 2022

The Mets have retained an important bullpen piece from their 101-win season in 2022, reportedly agreeing to a two-year contract with RHP Adam Ottavino.

Ottavino can opt-out after the first year of the deal.

The deal is worth $14.5 million over two years with the ability to earn $1 million in bonuses in each year of the deal, according to ESPN.

The 37-year-old Ottavino returned to form in 2022 after a rough couple of seasons with the Yankees and Red Sox in 2020 and 2021. He pitched to a 2.06 ERA in 66 appearances for New York, striking out 79 batters over 65.2 IP in a setup role to Edwin Díaz, proving to be the most reliable reliever for the Mets behind Díaz for the bulk of the season.

Ottavino’s resurgence in 2022 was thanks in large measure to rediscovering the effectiveness on his signature sweeping slider and sinker ball, producing a run value of -14 and -5 respectively. That helped place him in the top ten percentiles in expected batting average, expected slugging percentage, barrel percentage, exit velocity and hard hit rate, making him one of the most effective relievers in baseball last season.

Ottavino was particularly stingy against right-handed hitters in 2022 thanks to his signature pitches, holding them to a .161/.226/.253 line.

Ottavino - a New York native - will presumably re-assume his role alongside David Robertson as the club’s setup man to Díaz. Conceivably, Ottavino could be used more in right-handed heavy matchups, whereas Robertson could be leveraged in specific left-handed heavy matchups, as he held lefties to a .179/.290/.339 line in 2022.

Add in Brooks Raley - who the Mets acquired during the Winter Meetings - and the Mets have four solid, matchup-friendly relievers to help shorten games for them out of the bullpen.

With Ottavino reportedly back in the fold, the Mets CBT/luxury tax payroll is between $355-365 million, with a penalty of 90 cents on the dollar.