Mets Sign Mike Brosseau To Minor League Deal

The Mets have agreed to a minor league contract with infielder Mike Brosseau, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. They’ve also released outfielder Taylor Kohlwey from their Triple-A affiliate, per the MiLB transaction log.

Brosseau, 30, is a familiar face for Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns, who previously helmed the Brewers — where Brosseau played in 2022-23. The Former Brewers and Rays infielder is a career .242/.313/.438 hitter with 26 homers, 28 doubles, a triple and seven steals (in seven attempts) through parts of five big league seasons — a total of 647 plate appearances.

It’s a solid overall track record for Brosseau, who originally joined the Rays as an undrafted free agent. However, the bulk of his production came in a standout 2020 season that saw him slash .302/.378/.558 in 98 trips to the plate. He had lesser — but still productive — showings in 2019 and 2022, but since that excellent 2020 campaign he’s posted a tepid .217/.295/.385 line overall.

The right-handed-hitting Brosseau has substantial platoon splits. He’s a career .265/.326/.464 hitter against southpaws (117 wRC+) but owns just a .209/.293/.374 line against fellow righties (87 wRC+). Contact has been an issue throughout his career, as he’s fanned in 29.5% of his career plate appearances.

Brosseau has played all over the diamond in his relatively brief big league career, appearing at all four infield spots, in both outfield corners and even pitching 9 2/3 innings of mop-up duty (where he’s allowed three runs on eight hits and a pair of walks with one strikeout). The majority of his time has been spent at third base (778 innings), where he’s drawn poor ratings from Defensive Runs Saved (-5) and Outs Above Average (-8). Brosseau also has 404 innings at second base and has drawn positive grades there. He hasn’t appeared in even 150 innings at any of the other spots on the roster.

Kohlwey, 29, came to the Mets on a minor league deal back in December. He entered the season with a strong .296/.387/.444 slash in parts of four Triple-A seasons but has stumbled to an uncharacteristic .088/.162/.118 line in his first 37 plate appearances. The former 21st-rounder made his big league debut with the Padres last year and went 2-for-13 with a pair of singles in that brief call to the majors. Kohlwey has ample experience at all three outfield spots and at first base. He’ll be an option for teams seeking some left-handed-hitting outfield depth.