Mets Sign Kyle Farnsworth to Minor League Deal
The Mets announced on Monday that they have signed veteran reliever Kyle Farnsworth to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training. It is the latest low-risk signing the Mets have made.
Farnsworth will reportedly get $1 million if he makes the team, similar to the $1.5 million deals signed by Daisuke Matsuzaka and John Lannan.
As recently as the 2011, Kyle Farnsworth was an effective reliever, saving 25 games and pitching to a 2.18 ERA with the Rays. He split last season with the Rays and Pirates as a set-up man, finishing with a 4.70 ERA.
Farnsworth is no stranger to New York — he signed a three-year, $17 million contract with the Yankees prior to the 2006 season. He was terrible and Joe Torre hated him, finally jettisoning him to Detroit during the final year of the deal.
Could Farnsworth be this year’s LaTroy Hawkins? Or could he be Brandon Lyon? It remains to be seen, but this is a good move that will cost the Mets nothing.
Smart move. I was actually hoping they would do this. If Farnsworth is sharp, he could be more than this year’s Hawkins. He was lights out with the Rays, both as a closer and a setup man, in 2011. It seemed that, in 2012, Elmer Joe Fudd started using him as a situational guy (once they signed Rodney) and others (like Rodney) let in his men on base, but his hits to innings pitched and his HR/9 has been good.