December 6: Tonkin will earn $1MM, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post. Feinsand adds that Tonkin’s deal is actually a split contract, so the $1MM salary will be prorated over the time Tonkin spends on the big league roster. Tim Britton of The Athletic relays that Tonkin will make $400K in the minors. The Mets also officially announced the deal today.
December 5: The Mets have signed right-hander Michael Tonkin to a Major League contract, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via X).
After posting a 4.43 ERA over 146 1/3 innings with the Twins from 2013-17, Tonkin didn’t play in the majors until resurfacing with the Braves last season. The five-year odyssey saw Tonkin pitch in Japan, the Mexican Leagues, the independent Long Island Ducks, and within the affiliated minors with the Braves, Diamondbacks, and Brewers. That stint with Milwaukee’s Triple-A affiliate occurred in 2019 when David Stearns was still running the Brewers’ front office, so today’s deal reunites Tonkin with the Mets’ new president of baseball operations.
Tonkin’s return to the big leagues was a success, as he posted a 4.28 ERA over 45 appearances and 80 innings last year. Atlanta often used Tonkin in a multi-inning capacity, giving him a valuable role on a team that often had to figure out how to patch together innings in the wake of multiple rotation injuries. A .241 BABIP did provide some help to Tonkin’s efforts, though his 3.87 SIERA was actually lower than his ERA, and his 7.1% walk rate was well above the league average.
Since Tonkin’s peripherals were otherwise pretty lackluster, that could explain why Atlanta opted to non-tender him, despite a modest $1MM arbitration projection. The Braves were aggressive in moving a lot of arbitration-eligible players who were either obvious non-tenders or only borderline roster candidates for 2024, yet Tonkin didn’t linger in free agency long before catching on with another NL East team.
It would seem like Tonkin’s role in New York will resemble his assignment last year, as he’ll be called on to eat innings for a Mets club that currently has a lot of question marks on the pitching staff. The Mets signed Luis Severino and have been rumored to be pursuing some big-name talent on the free agent market, yet for now there isn’t much certainty in the rotation beyond Kodai Senga and Jose Quintana. The return of Edwin Diaz will fill the biggest hole in the Amazins’ bullpen, yet Tonkin will add a necessary long relief option to the mix. Tonkin joins Austin Adams (who signed a split contact) and minor league signings Cole Sulser, Andre Scrubb, and Kyle Crick as relief signings for the Mets over the last few weeks.
Dam, everyone loves the Tonka truck. I will miss him.
Who dat?
Apparently someone the braves fans will miss. We’ll see if he can retain it in NYM.
A long-man. He’s not terrible. Braves bullpen is loaded, they don’t need him. If he had options the Braves would keep in AAA.
Let them all go AA, I won’t miss him!!
David Stearns should be in jail for robbery. Wtf are we doing. None of the players signed so far are any good. We are the New York Mets not the Dollar Tree. I could do what hes doing, sign some no names and save money. At this point hes signed bad players and one or the worst managers in the major leagues. Tonkin just got released by the Braves, if they don’t want him why woukd we want him? Stearns is one of the worst PoBS in the game
Boy what a load of haul got when they missed out on Fedde, yeah Mike Tonkin will be annointed the great free agent signing by METS fans among others. The steal of the FA class. lol ballyhoo lmbo
Regardless of how things work out, Tonkin sure has some really memorable life experiences to go along with his baseball career.
Minnesota Twins to Japan to Mexico to Independent League pitching on the East Coast to the playoffs with the Braves and now in the Big Apple. That has to be a heck of a colorful life for a 34 year old guy who is also already a millionaire, haha.
Here’s hoping he’s able to keep things going for another year!