Brad Brach Exercises Player Option

Brad Brach exercised his $2.075MM player option to remain with the New York Mets, per Tim Healey of Newsday (via Twitter). That’s slightly more than had been previously reported, as Brach’s option had been listed as worth $1.25MM. He signed back with the Mets as a free agent this past December. He is represented by Brian Charles of Big League Management Company, LLC.

The 6’6″ sinkerballer experienced a discouraging drop in velocity in 2020. After averaging 94.1 mph on his four-seamer in 2019, his fastball clocked in at just 90.3 mph this year. Having previously been heavily reliant on his heater, throwing it roughly half the time, he threw it just 17.1% of the time in 2020. By usage, the four-seamer fell to fourth in his arsenal behind a cutter, change-up, and sinker. He made 14 appearances for the Mets in 2020, struggling to the tune of a 5.84 ERA/6.69 FIP across 12 1/3 innings with unfortunately matching 10.2 K/9 and 10.2 BB/9.

He had been a stabilizing presence for the Mets in 2019 after being signed off the scrap heap in August. The Cubs released him after a tough first half, but he rebounded with a 3.68 ERA/2.67 FIP in 14 2/3 innings across 16 appearances for the Mets. The right-handed reliever will again look to rebound in his age-35 season, which will be his 11th season as a big-leaguer. Overall, Brach has made 496 appearances out of the bullpen for the Padres, Orioles, Braves, Cubs, and Mets with a 3.39 ERA/3.76 FIP.