The New York Mets have signed veteran reliever Tommy Hunter to a minor-league contract, The Athletic reports. According to the report, Hunter will head to the Mets' training complex in Port St. Lucie, Fla., this week and should be ready for game action, whether in the majors or minors, by June.
The right-handed Hunter, 35, spent part of last season with the Mets, but back problems limited him to just four appearances.
Overall, Hunter owns an ERA of 4.04 (107 ERA+) and a K/BB ratio of 3.03 across parts of 14 MLB seasons. Of his 476 career games pitched, 400 have come out of the bullpen. Along the way, Hunter spent parts of five seasons with the Orioles under Buck Showalter, who now manages the Mets.
Going into Tuesday night's game against the Cardinals, the Mets rank 15th in the majors with a bullpen ERA of 3.45. Nearly three weeks into the 2022 season, the 13-5 Mets lead MLB in wins and own a 4.5-game lead in the NL East.
