Mets sign reliever Luis Avilan to a minor league deal

The New York Mets have signed Luis Avilan to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. The move mirrors the signing of Hector Santiago, which the club announced earlier this week.

Avilan has played for the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, and Philadelphia Phillies during his seven-year career. The 29-year-old left-hander sports a 3.09 ERA, a 3.25 FIP, a 21.5% strikeout rate, and a 9.2% walk rate in 308.2 career innings out of the pen. Last season, he posted a 3.86 ERA and 2.71 FIP in 39.2 innings with the White Sox (0.9 fWAR) before being dealt to the Phillies in August. He made 12 appearances for Philadelphia and finished with a 3.18 ERA and a 5.81 FIP (-0.1 fWAR).

Avilan has been successful in his career against left-handed batters, and that trend continued in 2018. Against 93 batters, he allowed 18 hits, which amounted to a .220 batting average against and a .646 OPS while striking out 25.8% of opposing lefties. Righties, on the other hand, hit .280 with a .733 OPS against him in 104 at-bats while striking out at a similar clip.

With the additions of Avilan and Santiago, it appears the Mets are content to fill their lefty void in the bullpen with these low-risk signings. In addition to the two newly-acquired relievers, the club will likely take a look at Daniel Zamora during spring training in an effort to replace Jerry Blevins as the primary left-hander in their bullpen.