The New York Mets added to their bullpen options by signing former Chicago Cubs closer Adbert Alzolay to a minor-league contract, according to multiple reports Friday.
Will Sammon of The Athletic was first to report the deal on Twitter/X:
The Mets and RHP Adbert Alzolay agreed to a minors deal, league sources told The Athletic. It’s a two-year deal; Alzolay had Tommy John surgery last year.
— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) January 24, 2025
Alzolay was limited to 18 games in 2024 because of a right elbow injury that ultimately required Tommy John surgery. In 2023, he went 2-5 with a 2.67 ERA and 22 saves for the Chicago Cubs.
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The 29-year-old right-hander is 12-25 with a 4.04 earned-run average over parts of six seasons (2019-24) with the Cubs.
According to Sammon, Alzolay gets a two-year contract, which makes sense considering he only had the ligament-replacement procedure on his elbow in August.
The typical timetable for recovery from Tommy John surgery is 12 to 18 months. According to the Associated Press, Alzolay is expected to miss most if not all of the 2025 season.
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As the Cubs’ closer in 2023, Alzolay converted 22 of his 25 save opportunities, but none after Aug. 29. He missed most of September with a forearm injury and appeared in only five more games that season.
Alzolay struggled early in the 2024 season and experienced a setback trying to rehabilitate the injury. He had four saves in nine chances and finished 1-4 with a 4.67 ERA in 18 games.
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The Cubs designated Alzolay for assignment on Nov. 19 and he elected free agency three days later.
Much can happen between now and the end of the regular season, when Alzolay might be healthy enough to pitch. For now the Mets have an enviable bullpen between closer Edwin Diaz, left-hander A.J. Minter, and returning set-up men Jose Butto, Reed Garrett and Sean Reid-Foley.
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Alzolay boasted an outstanding 5.1 percent walk rate in 2022, compared to a 26.5 strikeout rate. In 2023 he de-emphasized his four-seam fastball and favored an 87.5-mph slider that limited opponents to a .194/.213/.311 slash line.
In addition to his four-seamer, Alzolay throws a sinker and a cutter, making him the rare relief pitcher who can throw three different kinds of fastballs.
A native of Venezuela, Alzolay signed with the Cubs as an international amateur free agent in Nov. 2012. He converted to relief pitching full-time in 2022 after going 5-13 with a 4.58 ERA in 29 games (21 starts) in 2021.
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