The New York Mets signed right-handed reliever Matt Festa to a minor league contract on Sunday. Festa has spent the season pitching in Triple-A for the San Diego Padres, but the organization released him last week, likely due to an opt-out clause in his contract.
ICYMI: noted beloved Italian-American Matt Festa is back home in New York, having signed a minor league deal with the Mets 🤌 pic.twitter.com/HjIIZ1X6vW
— Sofie (@sofieballgame) May 20, 2024
Festa joins a Mets organization currently that’s seemingly always looking for fresh bullpen arms. The 31-year-old will begin his Mets tenure at Triple-A Syracuse but has a real chance to reach the majors at some point.
New York has one off day through June 5 and has not gotten many innings from its starters. The way the season has gone for the Mets, Festa will likely be called up simply to provide a fresh arm.
New York Mets Sign Matt Festa to Minor League Deal
Festa was a lifelong Seattle Mariner prior to this season and has seen time in four campaigns. His most significant playing time came in 2022, as he tossed 54 innings across 53 games. Festa produced a great strikeout rate and a solid walk rate while limiting hard contact.
Though his ERA (4.17) and ERA+ (89) seem pedestrian, Festa pitched well before a few blow-up outings in September. His ERA on September 7 was 3.27 and went up almost a full run in just a few weeks. Before 2022, Festa struggled with injuries for a few seasons and hasn’t pitched more than 31 innings since 2018. It’s likely that Festa tired down the stretch and saw his ERA pay the price.
Unfortunately, Festa’s struggles continued into 2023. He bounced between the majors and minors before the Mariners released him in early August after he suffered an undisclosed injury.
Festa didn’t sign with the Padres until late January. He likely took the rest of the 2023 season and much of the winter to recover from the injury. San Diego clearly liked what they saw and took a chance on Festa. To his credit, he pitched well in the minors this year.
In 16 innings, Festa posted a 4.15 ERA with a 21.6 percent strikeout rate and a 9.5 percent walk rate. To be fair, the Padres Triple-A team, the El Paso Chihuahuas, play in a hitter-friendly environment. It is possible that the righty would have fared better in a more neutral setting.
Matt Festa is worth the flier to a team that needs bullpen help:
– E/W supinator with great SW shape (-17″ iVB/3.2” HB)
– FB/SW/FC mix
SW (40% whiff)
– Would love to see a CH developed (low QOC/Chase)
– FS could help with N/S bias and blend low velo pic.twitter.com/IGbSit0QCK— Pat (@PatSullivan05) May 17, 2024
He’ll have a chance to prove that theory with the Mets, as Syracuse is a more fair environment to play in. For what it’s worth, he made a solid first impression on Sunday, tossing 1 1/3 innings with two punch outs and no walks. The Mets signed Festa for organizational depth. But with the current state of the pitching staff, Festa will have a chance to earn a spot as a middle-inning reliever.
Photo Credit: © David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
