Early in the 2022 season, the New York Mets were getting hit by pitches at an absurd rate. J.D. Davis getting plunked by a pitch thrown by St. Louis Cardinals reliever Genesis Cabrera appeared to be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Mets reliever Yoan Lopez appeared to retaliate, throwing a pitch up and in to Cardinals star third baseman Nolan Arenado, and that caused the benches to clear and a full-on brawl to ensue. Both Arenado and Cabrera were suspended for their roles in the brawl.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1519414926405775360

Now, over two years later, things are changing. Lopez hasn’t thrown an MLB pitch since the 2022 season, Arenado is on the trade block, and Cabrera has inked a minor league deal to join the team he brawled with.

LHP Genesis Cabrera has been signed to a minor league contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training.

— New York Mets (@Mets) November 27, 2024

Mets sign former villain Genesis Cabrera to minor league deal

Clearly, the Mets think this signing won’t make things too awkward, and it’s tough to blame them for that opinion. Lopez is long gone, Davis was traded during the 2022 season, and even Pete Alonso – another key member of the brawl – might depart in free agency.

Brawl aside, this looks like a fantastic move made by David Stearns and Co. The Mets signed Cabrera, a six-year veteran who has had some good years with the Cardinals and the Toronto Blue Jays to give the organization some much-needed bullpen depth.

This past season was a bit of a rough one for the southpaw, as despite his 3.59 ERA coming out of the bullpen for Toronto, he had a 5.13 FIP and a 1.468 WHIP. Cabrera also saw his strikeout rate plummet from 24.3 percent in 2023 to 18.5 percent in 2024. As his inflated FIP and his 4.38 xERA would indicate, he appeared to be more lucky than good, and that’s why he settled on the deal that he did.

Still, Cabrera is a hard-thrower who, despite his down year, has been a productive reliever in the past. For a Mets team without a clear-cut left-handed reliever in their bullpen right now, Cabrera figures to have a legitimate shot to make the team’s Opening Day roster. He should, at the very least, earn the opportunity to compete with fellow southpaw Danny Young for a spot.

With this being a minor league deal, there’s zero risk, and, as we saw this past season with Jose Iglesias, the chance for a very real reward. Cabrera’s history with New York makes the move just that much more interesting. Cabrera having a history with New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone makes the move just that much better.