The Mets have signed right-hander Chris Devenski to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He elected free agency a few days ago after being outrighted by the Pirates. He has now been assigned to Triple-A Syracuse.
Devenski, 35, had some really strong results with the Astros early in his career. By the end of the 2017 season, he had thrown 189 innings with a 2.38 earned run average, 28.2% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate. His results backed up from there and then he missed most of the 2020 to 2022 seasons due to health issues, including Tommy John surgery.
He has been a journeyman in recent seasons. From the start of 2022 to the present, he has pitched for the Diamondbacks, Phillies, Angels, Rays, Mets and Pirates with a 5.35 ERA, 21.6% strikeout rate and 7.1% walk rate in 102 2/3 innings. That includes three appearances with the Bucs this year before an undisclosed illness put him on the injured list for about three months. When he was ready to come off the IL, Pittsburgh designated him for assignment instead of putting him back on the roster.
For the Mets, they just traded away their most established arms at the deadline, with Brooks Raley, A.J. Minter, Luke Weaver and Huascar Brazobán all sent packing in separate deals. Their current bullpen is therefore lacking in experience, with no one in the current group having even four years of big league service time. Even among the more veteran guys, there are question marks. Kodai Senga has only been moved to a single-inning relief role this month. Dedniel Núñez has only just returned from a lengthy rehab from Tommy John surgery. If the Mets need a fresh arm at some point down the stretch, Devenski will be a candidate to get the call.
Photo courtesy of Philip G. Pavely, Imagn Images
