Blevins, Eickhoff among Mets' Minors deals
NEW YORK -- The Mets’ quest to deepen their Triple-A and Major League rosters continued this week, when they made several Minor League signings official. Among them: veteran pitchers Jerry Blevins and Jerad Eickhoff, as well as lefty Tom Windle and infielder Wilfredo Tovar. All four received invitations to Spring Training.
Blevins, whose signing was previously reported, is the most high-profile of the new recruits. The longtime lefty specialist will compete for a job in the Mets’ bullpen, and he stands a decent chance of winning one given the Mets’ lack of left-handed depth. Blevins posted a 3.90 ERA during his last stint in the Majors in 2019, holding lefties to a .180 average.
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The Mets know Eickhoff nearly as well, having faced him regularly from 2015-19, when he was a starter for the Phillies. Eickhoff produced a 3.44 ERA over his first 41 career starts, but he has since struggled with injuries and owns a 5.07 ERA since 2019. Eickhoff spent time at the Rangers’ alternate site this summer, but he did not crack the Majors. Now with the Mets, he gives the team a swingman depth option behind Sam McWilliams, Corey Oswalt and others.
Windle, another former Phillie, has never pitched in the Majors. He owns a career 4.13 ERA in the Minors, including a 4.26 mark as a reliever at Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2019.
The Mets are also plenty familiar with Tovar, who signed with them as a 16-year-old in 2008 and remained in the organization until '15. The slick-fielding Tovar has played 40 career games in the Majors, including 31 with the Angels in '19.
In addition to those four, the Mets signed two additional Minor Leaguers without Spring Training invites: left-hander Cam Opp and catcher José Colina. A native of the United Kingdom, Opp took an unusual path to his first professional contract, pitching for the British national team and playing college ball at West Point before hooking on with the independent league Evansville Otters in 2019. The Mets scouted him at that time and intended to sign him this spring, before COVID-19 interfered with their plans.