{"id":33772,"date":"2020-07-01T17:02:24","date_gmt":"2020-07-01T21:02:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonbaseball.com\/?p=33772"},"modified":"2020-07-01T17:02:24","modified_gmt":"2020-07-01T21:02:24","slug":"mets-sign-veteran-relief-pitcher-jared-hughes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2020\/07\/01\/mets-sign-veteran-relief-pitcher-jared-hughes\/","title":{"rendered":"Mets Sign Veteran Relief Pitcher Jared Hughes"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New York Mets<\/a> made yet another move and signed right-handed reliever Jared Hughes<\/a><\/strong> to a one year contract worth $700,000 dollars which equates for $260,000 for the 60 games. The veteran will likely be added to the player pool, which currently stands at 51.<\/p>\n

MLB Experience<\/h2>\n

Hughes, who stands at 6-foot-7, 240 lbs, is entering his 10th season in the big leagues. He made his debut in 2011 with the Pittsburgh Pirates<\/a>. Hughes spent six seasons in Pittsburgh and had three years with an ERA under 3.00.<\/p>\n

In 2014, he had his best year, winning seven games out of the bullpen and pitching to an ERA of 1.96. He then went on to pitch a season with the Milwaukee Brewers<\/a> in 2017 and then had the best season of his career with the Cincinnati Reds<\/a> in 2018.<\/p>\n

The 34-year old made 72 appearances and pitched to a sub 2.00 ERA. Hughes was thrust into the closer role where he saved seven games that year. Since then, he has pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies<\/a> and signed a contract deal with the Houston Astros<\/a>\u00a0earlier this season.<\/p>\n

Impact with Mets<\/h2>\n

Hughes is known around the league for his unique entrance into games as he sprints in from the bullpen. He has a quality sinker that generally sits in the low 90\u2019s. Hughes occasionally throws a slider and splitter but is mainly a ground ball pitcher.<\/p>\n

Hughes could likely make an impact for the Mets as they have a revamped bullpen. They signed Dellin Betances<\/a><\/strong> to a contract in the offseason after he missed nearly the entire 2019 season with the New York Yankees<\/a>. They are also relying on Edwin Diaz<\/a><\/strong> and Jeurys Familia<\/a><\/strong> to have bounce-back seasons at the end of the bullpen. With expanded rosters, it could leave Hughes with a chance.<\/p>\n

He will likely battle some of the younger relief pitchers such as Jacob Rhame<\/a><\/strong>, Tyler Bashlor<\/a><\/strong>, and Drew Smith<\/a><\/strong> for innings. Brad Brach<\/a><\/strong> was also re-signed in the off-season. The Mets have two weapons that can give them innings in Seth Lugo<\/a><\/strong> and Robert Gsellman<\/a> <\/strong>from\u00a0the right side.<\/p>\n

Hughes will likely see time in spring training as players are arriving in New York. It is another low-risk move<\/a> that the Mets are making that they hope can pay off in the shortened season.<\/p>\n

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\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>