Mets sign five players to Minor League contracts

FLUSHING, N.Y., December 16, 2022 – The New York Mets announced today that the club has re-signed RHP Tommy Hunter to a minor league contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training. RHP Jimmy Yacabonis, OF Abraham Almonte and INF José Peraza also signed minor league contracts with invitations to Major League Spring Training. Additionally, the club re-signed RHP Sean Reid-Foley to a minor league contract.

Hunter, 36, has spent parts of the last two seasons with the Mets and has pitched to a 1.78 ERA (six earned runs/30.1 innings) over 22 appearances (one start) during that span. He is one of eight pitchers in Mets history to allow six earned runs or fewer through their first 22 games with the franchise (Min. 25.0 innings). The 15-year veteran is 56-46 with 22 saves and a 4.00 ERA (397 ER/893.2 IP) in 494 major league games with seven clubs.

Yacabonis, 30, has posted a 6.03 ERA (79 ER/118.0 IP) in 71 games (13 starts) during his five-year Major League career with the Orioles, Mariners, Marlins and Rays. The Elizabeth, New Jersey native made 14 appearances (one start) combined with Miami and Tampa Bay last season.

Almonte, 33, began the 2022 season with the Brewers organization before he was acquired by the Red Sox on July 25. He batted .257 (9-37) with one home run and two RBI in 15 games with Boston. Prior to having his contract selected by Boston, the 5-10, 233-pounder slashed .293/.417/.534 with 18 home runs and 66 RBI across 80 games between Nashville (AAA) and Worcester (AAA) of the International League. A Dominican Republic native, Almonte has hit .235 (287-1221) with 24 home runs and 118 RBI over 455 major league games with seven clubs.

Peraza, 28, appeared in 71 International League games between Scranton/Wilkes Barre (AAA) and Worcester (AAA) last season. A Venezuela native, Peraza played in 64 games with the Mets in 2021 and sported a .993 OPS with runners in scoring position, while five of his six home runs that season gave the Mets the lead. Prior to joining the Mets, Peraza appeared in 554 games with the Dodgers (2015), Reds (2016-2019) and Red Sox (2020).

Reid-Foley, 27, has spent the last two seasons with the Mets and owns a record of 2-1 with a 5.28 ERA (18 ER/30.2 innings) in 19 career games with New York. In 2022, Reid-Foley made seven relief appearances before his season was cut short after undergoing Tommy John surgery on May 11 to repair a partially torn right UCL. Prior to joining the Mets, the 6-3, 230-pounder went 5-8 with a 4.40 ERA (35 ER/71.2 IP) in 21 games (13 starts) with the Blue Jays from 2018-2020.