The right-handed reliever had Tommy John surgery last year.

The Mets have signed right-handed relief pitcher Adbert Alzolay to a two-year minor league deal, per Will Sammon. The 29-year-old had season-ending Tommy John surgery in late August last year, the Cubs designated for him assignment in November.

Over the course of the past six seasons, Alzolay threw 254.0 innings for the Cubs, and he has a 4.04 ERA with a 4.30 FIP. While he made the vast majority of his appearances as a starter in the first three years of his major league career, Alzolay has pitched exclusively in relief since the beginning of the 2022 season.

In 2023, Alzolay had the best season of his career thus far, as he threw 64.0 innings with a 2.67 ERA and a 3.02 FIP out of the Cubs’ bullpen. And in total, he has a 2.83 ERA as a reliever in his big league career.

Given the average recovery time from Tommy John surgery, the best case scenario here is that Alzolay joins the Mets sometime in the second half of the 2025 season. But even if he doesn’t recover in time for that, he’d be an intriguing possibility for the team’s bullpen in 2026.