As the New York Mets continue to shore up their pitching depth, they signed right-handed pitcher Jerad Eickhoff, formerly of the Philadelphia Phillies, to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.
Eickhoff, now 30 years old, had some prospect pedigree earlier in the decade but mostly didn’t pan out as the Phillies had hoped. Now, the Mets are taking a small gamble to see if there is still potential in his right arm.
The deal was announced by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Eickhoff can earn a $1.25 million salary if he makes the Mets’ major league roster, with another $750,000 up for grabs in performance-based bonuses.
Eickhoff didn’t log any innings at the major league level during the condensed 2020 season, and struggled in his last taste of MLB in 2019. In that year, he had a 5.71 ERA over 58 1/3 innings (10 starts, two relief appearances) with the Phillies.
The Mets are patiently waiting, but keep addressing the roster
The market for top free agents in MLB is moving very slowly, so it’s possible, as MLB.com suggests, that names such as Trevor Bauer, J.T. Realmuto, George Springer, and DJ LeMahieu won’t sign until January. The Mets are keeping a patient approach, and the fact that they chose not to pursue Realmuto implies that they will go after Bauer or Springer.
“Look, everybody knows how we’re positioned right now,†president Sandy Alderson said to MLB.com. “There’s no secret there. But the fact that we’re involved in those conversations I don’t think puts any more pressure on us. I think what the fans want is not that we win the offseason, but we win the season. And there are several different ways to achieve that.â€
Eickhoff’s signing is more like a depth addition than a marquee addition, but the Mets need moves like that one. After Jacob deGrom, the injured Noah Syndergaard, Marcus Stroman, David Peterson, and Steven Matz, there isn’t much pitching depth in the organization. If he has a good spring training, chances are that Eickhoff will make starts in 2021.