Mets' Deal With Brandon Lyon Worth Maximum Of $2.4 Million

Brandon Lyon, who has reportedly been almost-signed by the Mets for the past few days, could earn up to $2.4 million on his one-year deal with the team this year. His base salary, though, will only be between $750,000 and $900,000, per Ken Rosenthal.

The 33-year-old right-handed pitcher saw his strikeouts spike last year, and he's been quite good — at least in terms of his ERA — for most of the past few years. While Terry Collins is sticking with Frank Francisco as his closer for now, it's easy to envision Lyon taking over if and when Francisco falters.

It's encouraging to see the Mets make a deal like this one. Last winter, the team handed Francisco a contract that looked overpriced after his 2012 campaign came to an end — a two-year, $12 million deal. The Mets also added Jon Rauch for $3.5 million last winter, which didn't look so bad over the course of his good season. Still, Lyon could easily outperform Rauch's 2012 season and usurp Francisco as the team's closer in the near future. At $2.4 million maximum, that's a perfectly reasonable deal for the Mets.