Over the past couple of seasons, the New York Mets have earned a reputation for finding ways to "fix" pitchers who have previously struggled. They'll attempt to do the same with former Chicago Cubs Julian Merryweather, as they signed him to a minor league deal on Saturday, according to Newsday's Laura Albanese.
Merryweather had a rough go of it with the Cubs this season, posting a 5.73 ERA in 21 appearances and 18.2 innings of work prior to getting DFA'd. Most alarmingly, he struck out only 15 batters in those 18.2 innings and issued 11 walks.
Merryweather struggling to this degree was pretty shocking because he had a 3.38 ERA in 69 appearances in 2023, and he has excellent stuff. Now, the Mets will hope he's the latest success story of many in their bullpen.
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Julian Merryweather pitch mix
Merryweather is essentially a two-pitch pitcher. His slider is his best pitch, and it generated a 28.4 percent whiff rate this season despite his struggles. It generated a 45.3 percent whiff rate in 2023, which is an elite number. His other pitch is his fastball, which has averaged 96.0 mph this season, good for the 80th percentile according to Baseball Savant.
Merryweather has a wicked slider and a high-velocity fastball. It isn't hard to see why David Stearns took a shot here.
Mets take smart flier on Merryweather
Soon, we'll find out if Merryweather is New York's next success story. They've had remarkable, well-documented success with starting pitchers like Luis Severino, Sean Manaea, and Griffin Canning, but they've had a lot of luck with relievers as well. Jose Castillo has pitched extremely well since being acquired by the Mets earlier this season, Huascar Brazoban is pitching as well as he ever has, and Reed Garrett might be the best set-up man in the league.
Many thought pitching would be the Achilles heel for the 2025 Mets, but they lead the majors in ERA, thanks in large part to remarkable reclamation project success stories.
I'm not here to say Merryweather will revive his career in Queens and become a key reliever for the Mets, but he's been a reliable arm before, and he has the stuff to be a really good reliever.
At the very least, it's a worthwhile flier for the Mets to take on a minor league deal, and best-case scenario, the Mets might actually get the most out of Merryweather. It wouldn't be the first time.