2024 Mets villain is set to make a dramatic Citi Field return this season

Believe it or not, the 2024 season was on the brink of absolute disaster for the New York Mets. The Mets were swept at home in late May against the Los Angeles Dodgers to bring their record to 22-33 on the year. Expectations weren't necessarily high entering the year, to begin with, but the Mets were in danger of falling completely out of postseason contention just two months into the season.

As if that wasn't embarrassing enough, Jorge Lopez's theatrics during that final Dodgers game made the organization look like the laughingstock of the sport. Frustrated by no call on a check swing, Lopez was ejected for arguing with the third base umpire, and then proceeded to launch his glove over the netting and into the stands while walking off the field. It's the kind of thing we may never see again.

To take it a step further, Lopez spoke postgame and gave an NSFW rant about the state of the organization. Whether he actually said that the Mets were the worst team or that he was the worst teammate can be debated, but this whole situation was a bad look for the journeyman reliever. With that in mind, he was DFA'd shortly after this game.

Of course, the season was far from over at this moment for the Mets. In fact, an argument can be made that Lopez's ejection provided the team the spark it needed to go on a run. The Mets went 18-6 over their next 24 games immediately following Lopez's departure to get back over the .500 mark and would never look back. They made a run to the NLCS before falling short against these same Dodgers.

Lopez, meanwhile, bounced back in his own right. He signed with the Chicago Cubs shortly after getting released by the Mets and pitched well, earning a new deal as a free agent for the 2025 season. The team he's signing with is the Washington Nationals, an NL East division rival of the Mets, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Lopez will have plenty of opportunities to defeat his former team, and vice versa.

Jorge Lopez makes 2025 Mets-Nationals games must-see TV with latest signing

All jokes aside, this is a solid pickup for the Nationals, especially on a cheap one-year deal. Lopez has never quite lived up to his All-Star year back in 2022, but his 2024 season was his best showing since his breakout.

The right-hander was pitching fairly well for the Mets prior to getting DFA'd, posting a 3.76 ERA in 28 appearances and 26.1 innings of work. He was being used often for a bullpen that, at the time, was struggling. As we all know, he wasn't DFA'd for performance reasons.

Once he moved on to the Cubs, he pitched even better, recording a 2.03 ERA in 24 appearances and 26.2 innings pitched. Four of the six earned runs he allowed with the Cubs came in one brutal outing. The rest of the time saw him allow a total of two earned runs in 25.2 innings of work. The Cubs bullpen desperately needed a spark, and Lopez provided that, even pitching well in the late innings.

Now, Lopez is joining a Nationals bullpen that also needed a lift, especially after non-tendering Kyle Finnegan and trading Robert Garcia. If they don't sign anyone else, there's certainly a chance Lopez will earn some save opportunities in Washington. If that is the case, that'll make Mets-Nationals games even more entertaining.