New York Mets bring back reliever Jeurys Familia

Jeurys Familia, who was briefly a member of the Oakland Athletics this season, is reportedly returning to the New York Mets…

According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, right-handed reliever/closer Jeurys Familia will be returning to New York after agreeing to a contract with the New York Mets. Additionally, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported that the deal is a three-year deal, with Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic adding that the contract is worth $30 million, or $10 million a year.

Finally, Andy Martino of Sportsnet New York confirmed the report live on air Thursday, with many other outlets reporting similarly. If made official, Familia will join newly acquired closer Edwin Diaz in the back of what is shaping up to a fantastically powerful Mets bullpen. As of this writing, the deal is not yet official, but Tim Healey of Newsday did report that Familia passed his physical and should be announced as a New York Met relatively soon.

Familia, 29, spent parts of six seasons with the Mets before being dealt to Oakland in the middle of the 2018 season. With a career 124 saves, he boasts a career 2.73 ERA and has appeared in 343 games overall. Arguably his best season, a 2016 campaign that saw him earn an All-Star selection and garner mild MVP support, saw him pitch to an ERA of 2.55 and save a league-leading 51 games. That year, he finished 67 games and tossed a total of 77.2 innings.

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Familiar, who hails from the Dominican Republic, is 16th among active pitchers in saves, 20th in games finished, and 53rd in career win probably added (WPA). His career WHIP sits at a respectable 1.211 and his career FIP is 2.92.

Though a unassuming superstar on the field, the native of Santo Domingo has had some trouble off the field. In October 2016, he was arrested for domestic violence in New Jersey, only to have the charge dismissed due to “lack of evidence”. While the charge didn’t end up leading to legal consequences, it changed baseball’s view of him as a player and somewhat spoiled his reputation as a pitcher.

Still, life (and baseball) appears to be moving on for Familia, whose contract will likely serve as a measuring stick of sorts for other similarly skilled relievers on the free-agent market, mainly Zach Britton, Adam Ottavino and Cody Allen. Though Familia is the only major reliever to have been signed at the Las Vegas Winter Meetings, his contract should still set a precedent as the days pass.

Now, the Mets appear to have turned what was once a relative weakness into a strength, as Familia will join the now resurgent New York Mets bullpen. More to come.