Mets sign Trevor May to two-year contract

In their first major move of the offseason, the Mets have agreed to sign right-handed reliever Trevor May to a two-year deal, pending a physical. May has served as a very good setup man and sometimes closer for the Twins over the past three seasons and was one of the better relievers available this offseason. Jon Heyman reports that the deal if for about $15 million, which is right in line with estimates from MLBTR and Fangraphs that pegged May for an AAV in the $5-$8 million range.

Originally drafted by the Phillies in 2008 and traded to the Twins in 2012 for Ben Revere, May has excelled since being moved to the bullpen full time in 2016. He’s been particularly excellent since returning from Tommy John surgery, running the 12th-best K% and 13th-best K-BB% among relievers over the past three seasons. Last season was perhaps his most impressive, as he boosted his K/9 to a career-high 14.66 thanks to adding an extra tick on his fastball and heavier usage of his refined slider. Pitching coach Jeremy Hefner is likely very familiar with the improvements May has made over the years as the two worked together in Minnesota prior to 2020.

May will presumably slot into a setup role behind Edwin Diaz at the back end of the Mets’ bullpen. There’s still plenty of work to be done in building a contender-level pitching staff, but scooping up May early is a great first step.