Report: Mets agree to 1-year deals with relievers Diekman, Fujinami

The New York Mets are adding two more arms to their bullpen.

The Mets agreed to a one-year, $3.35-million contract with right-hander Shintaro Fujinami, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports. They're also in agreement on a one-year, $4-million pact with southpaw Jake Diekman, per Mike Puma of the New York Post.

Fujinami gets $850,000 worth of incentives in his deal, according to Heyman. Meanwhile, Diekman's vesting option earns him a second year at another $4 million if he appears in at least 58 games in 2024, reports Puma.

Though he has experience as a starter, Fujinami will work exclusively as a reliever with the Mets, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The contract also reportedly allows the team to option him to the minors without his consent.

Fujinami, 29, split last season, his first in the majors, between the Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles. He posted an ugly 7.18 ERA and 1.49 WHIP in 64 games last year, although those stats were inflated due to four woeful April starts he made before moving to the bullpen. He walked over five batters per nine innings but also put up a 9.5 K/9 rate and gave up only nine homers in 79 innings.

Fujinami was solid down the stretch for Baltimore after a midseason trade, putting up a 4.85 ERA, 4.13 FIP, and 1.21 WHIP with two saves and a 9.7 K/9 rate in 30 games for the Orioles.

He has the potential to continue succeeding as a middle reliever thanks to a blazing fastball that averaged 98.4 mph last year and ranked in the 97th percentile of velocity. Fujinami's secondary pitches include a splitter and a cutter, and he'll mix in a sweeper, slider, and curveball occasionally.

Before moving to the majors last winter, Fujinami enjoyed a 10-year run as a starter with the Hanshin Tigers of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.

Diekman, meanwhile, joins the Mets after spending most of 2023 with the Tampa Bay Rays. He joined the Rays in May after being cut by the Chicago White Sox following an awful April and rediscovered his old form almost immediately, posting a 2.18 ERA, 192 ERA+, and 10.5 K/9 with only two homers allowed in 50 appearances over the season's final five months.

The 37-year-old will be an important weapon for first-year manager Carlos Mendoza against left-handed hitters, who he's held to a .661 OPS with 11 homers during his 12-year career. He's not exclusively a lefty specialist, though, as righties sport a .672 OPS against him in over 1,500 plate appearances.

In 662 career appearances with eight teams, Diekman owns a 3.82 ERA and 1.39 WHIP with 724 strikeouts and 15 saves.

Fujinami and Diekman are the latest additions to the Mets' revamped bullpen behind star closer Edwin Díaz. New York previously signed Michael Tonkin and Jorge López to one-year deals and also brought back veteran Adam Ottavino last week.

The Mets also announced a minor trade on Friday, dealing catcher Tyler Heineman to the Boston Red Sox for cash.