FLUSHING, N.Y., – The New York Mets today announced the club has re-signed right-handed pitcher Adam Ottavino to a one-year contract. In a corresponding move, catcher Tyler Heineman has been designated for assignment.
Ottavino, 38, pitched to a 3.21 ERA (22 ER/61.2 IP) and saved a career-high 12 games in 66 appearances with the Mets last season, his second campaign with New York. In two seasons with the Mets, he has gone 7-10 with 15 saves, 45 walks and 141 strikeouts over 127.1 innings spanning 132 games. Over the last two years, Ottavino ranks among the top relief pitchers in the National League in ERA (2.62, seventh) and games (132, eighth). The Mets are 88-44 (.667) when Ottavino appears in a game.
“Adam has been a steady, integral piece of the bullpen for this club over the last two seasons,” Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns said. “We’re excited to keep him home in New York, where he’s thrived on the field, and we look forward to having him pitch important innings for us in 2024.”
Ottavino has kept his foes scoreless in 292 of his 373 appearances (78.2 percent) since 2018. Both the 292 scoreless outings and 373 games pitched overall are the most in the majors over the last six seasons.
A Brooklyn native who graduated from Berkeley Carroll High School in Park Slope, Ottavino will be pitching for a New York team for the fifth time in the last six years. In addition to spending the past two campaigns with the Mets, the right-hander played for the cross-town Yankees from 2019-2020. On Saturday, January 27, he received the Ben Epstein/Dan Castellano “Good Guy” Award from the New York chapter of the BBWAA, presented annually to a person who is excellent with the media.
Ottavino ranks in the top 10 among active relievers in strikeouts (780, fifth), wins (39, sixth), innings (672.2, seventh) and appearances (661, eighth). The 6-5, 245-pounder has spent 13 years in the majors, posting a 39-41 record with a 3.42 ERA (261 ER/687.0 IP) with the Cardinals (2010), Rockies (2012-18), Yankees (2019-20), Red Sox (2021) and Mets (2022-23).
