After bolstering their infield depth by signing Eduardo Nunez, the New York Mets signed veteran pitcher Erasmo Ramirez to a minor league deal. Ramirez joins the Mets after spending a majority of the 2019 season in the minors with the Boston Red Sox.
Mets have signed veteran right-handed pitcher Erasmo Ramirez to a minor league deal with an invite to big league camp per @leviluna21.
29-year-old has a 6.84 ERA over 48 2/3 major league innings the last two seasons.
— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) January 26, 2020
Ramirez is a swingman who can start and pitch out of the bullpen. During his 27 outings (24 starts) in Triple-A during 2019, he pitched 145.1 innings and a 4.74 ERA. Ramirez one big-league outing resulted in him allowing four runs over three innings.
Always Good to Add Depth
His career saw better days during the two and a half seasons he spent with the Tampa Bay Rays from 2015-17. Ramirez had a 3.98 ERA over 124 games (36 starts). He is a crafty pitcher who relies on his cutter and change-up to put batters away. Ramirez fastball is more of a sinker, and it has been his best pitch over his career. His 1.4 career HR/9 shows his propensity to keep the ball in the yard.
Ramirez is an upgrade to some of the depth pieces the Mets will have in the minor leagues. He is only heading into his age-30 season and is getting a full, healthy offseason after finishing his first full season after a shoulder injury. Ramirez will likely settle back into the serviceable reliever he has always been. If the Mets bullpen suffers injuries, he will likely be one of the first options for the team uses. This is a solid signing because there are no expectations for Ramirez, and he has an excellent opportunity to recover from two lackluster seasons.