Right-handed relief pitcher Brad Brach agreed to sign a one-year, $850,000 contract with the New York Mets this Friday, according to Ken Rosenthal.
Rosenthal also explained that the pact comes with a player option for $1.25M in 2021, according to his sources. The righty is still owed $500K by Chicago Cubs for 2020, so he will earn a total of $1.35M next season.
The 33-year old hurler started the 2019 campaign with the Cubs. However, he was released in early August after registering a 6.13 ERA in 42 outings with the 2016 World Series Champions.
A positive stint with the New York Mets
The Mets scooped him up on August 8 and he was much better from that point on, with a 3.63 ERA in 16 games (14.2 frames.)
In those 14.2 innings, he allowed 15 hits and six runs, all of them earned. With a 3:15 BB/K ratio with the Mets, it is clear that he was a much more effective pitcher after signing to play in New York, which earned him the right to return for 2020.
As a whole, he finished 2019 with a 5.47 ERA and 1.62 WHIP in 54.1 innings. That was probably the reason why his market wasn’t too big. However, he still has something left in the tank and can help the Mets return to contention next year.
A former All-Star
Brach is a former All-Star pitcher, having been elected to participate in the 2016 edition. He was with the Baltimore Orioles back then, and that was by far his best year.
In 2016, he had a 10-4 record with a shiny 2.05 ERA in 79 frames. He had a 10.48 K/9 and a 2.85 BB/9, accumulating 1.7 fWAR in a fantastic season.
He was also an effective reliever from 2012 to 2018. According to Baseball Savant, Brach relies on a five-pitch repertoire: a four seamer (47.6%), slider (19.4%), changeup (18.9%), cutter (7.9%), and sinker (6.2%.)
The fastball, slider, and changeup are effective, although he struggled with the four-seamer in 2019. According to Fangraphs, his 94.2 mph on average was the lowest mark since 2013, and the offering only had a 0.6 runs above average figure this year. That’s better than the -3.5 mark he had in 2018, but a far cry from the 12.0 and 11.3 from 2016 and 2017, respectively.
Brach now joins closer Edwin Diaz and fellow relievers Jeurys Familia, Seth Lugo, Robert Gsellman, Justin Wilson and others in the New York Mets‘ bullpen.