The Mets have signed veteran relief pitcher Fernando Abad to a minor league contract, the team announced this afternoon. While he will likely start off the season in AAA Las Vegas, the left-handed pitcher has every chance to make his way up to the big league club at some point during the season coming out of the pen. As of right now, Jerry Blevins is the only left-handed pitcher in the Mets’ bullpen.
Abad was with the Phillies this spring until they released him last week after only three appearances with the team. Over those three appearances, Abad gave up five runs on six hits in 1.2 innings pitched. While his spring results might not be reassuring, Abad has been a useful reliever over his eight seasons in the majors. Last season, Abad came out of the bullpen for the Red Sox and in 43.2 innings, over the course of 48 appearances, Abad had a 3.30 ERA, a 1.237 WHIP, and 37 strikeouts.
Abad’s best work came against lefties, holding them to a .227/.288/.348 batting line and a nice 4.20 strikeout-to-walk ratio in the 2017 season. Those results aren’t far off from the .237/.287/.383 batting line and 4.65 strikeout-to-walk ratio that Abad has against lefties for his career.