The New York Mets have acquired right-handed pitcher Yohan Ramirez from the Chicago White Sox for cash considerations, the team announced on Monday.
The 28-year-old split last season with the Pittsburgh Pirates and White Sox, going 1-0 with a 4.38 ERA, 35 strikeouts, and 17 walks. The Mets will be his fifth team in five MLB seasons, going 6-4 with six career saves, an ERA of 3.99, 128 strikeouts, and 69 walks.
He fares particularly well against right-handers, holding them to a .181 average.
While he didn’t pitch enough innings to qualify amongst MLB’s regular-season leaders last year, his ground-ball percentage, hard-hit rate, barrel percentage, and average exit velocity against would have ranked near the top 10% of all pitchers, per Baseball Savant.
Lopez has three main pitches that he leans on — most notably a sinker he threw approximately 70% of the time last season that averaged 95 mph. He also owns a sweeper that clocks in at just under 83 mph and a seldom-used changeup that hovers at just under 90 mph.
The development of the sinker and sweeper has all but taken away a four-seam fastball that also sat in the mid-90s. He threw the pitch just once in 2023, however.
It’s a low-risk, high-upside talent to bring into a bullpen that needed revamping this season. Entering the winter, the Mets only had star closer Edwin Diaz — who has recovered from a torn patellar tendon in his knee — southpaw Brooks Raley, and Drew Smith as viable relief options.
Over the last month, the Mets have brought on Austin Adams, Jorge Lopez, and Michael Tonkin in an attempt to create some bullpen depth.
