The New York Mets are in the thick of a playoff race as the blue and orange currently sit in the final wild-card spot with a 61-55 record.
As the Mets pursue a return to postseason baseball, the organization added some relief pitching depth by signing a well-traveled arm to a minor league contract.
The Mets have signed Vinny Nittoli to a minor-league contract
According to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, the Mets have signed relief pitcher Vinny Nittoli to a minor league contract and have assigned him to Triple-A Syracuse.
Nittoli became a free agent after rejecting an outright assignment to Triple-A by the Baltimore Orioles earlier this month. The Mets will be the 33-year-old’s fourth organization this season, starting the campaign on a minor league deal with the Oakland Athletics and spending a day in the Chicago Cubs system before heading to the Orioles.
The Arizona native has pitched 12 innings across nine appearances at the major league level representing the Athletics and Orioles, to a 1.50 ERA with a 1.000 WHIP while striking out eight. Nittoli also pitched for both organizations’ Triple-A affiliates, pitching 26.1 innings across 23 appearances to a 2.73 ERA with a 1.291 WHIP while striking out 40 and recording three saves.
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Nittoli has been a member of 11 different organizations since being a 25th-round pick by the Seattle Mariners in the 2014 MLB Draft. This will be the 33-year-old’s second stint with the Mets, as he was a member of the blue and orange during the 2023 campaign, pitching 3.2 innings across three appearances to a 2.45 ERA with a 1.091 WHIP while recording three punchouts.
The right-hander also spent some time in the big leagues with the Mariners and the Philadelphia Phillies.
What does this mean for the Mets?
The signing of Nittoli is just to add another depth reliever option for a Mets bullpen that can use as much help as possible down the stretch. Time will tell if and when Nittoli makes it to the bullpen, but you can never have enough pitching in October, and the signing of the 33-year-old is proof of that.
