Jonathan Pintaro, RP

Player Data: Age: 28 (11/07/1997) B/T: R/R

2026 Traditional Stats: 2-3, 5.28 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 30 SO, 16 BB, 30.2 IP, 22 G
2026 Advanced Stats: 77 ERA+, 23.1 K%, 12.3 BB%, 4.32 xERA, 5.12 FIP, 4.53 xFIP, -0.2 fWAR, -0.3 bWAR

2026 salary: Pre-Arbitration

Jonathan Pintaro by Roberto Carlo

GRADE: C

2026 REVIEW

Jonathan Pintaro went unselected in the 2022 draft but was determined to keep his dream alive by playing in independent ball. Per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, it only took the Mets two innings to confirm their suspicions that he should be part of their organization. In 2024, they signed him to a minor league deal.

With a 5.28 ERA, a C grade must seem outlandish, but on a 30.2-inning sample, ERA and FIP have not come close to stabilizing, and MMO is not going to insult our readers by grading solely based on small sample noise. Especially since over a fifth of those earned runs came from one outing where he was called up for one day, pushed until he could not throw any more pitches, and then immediately optioned back to Syracuse. Across the 2026 season, Pintaro was called up seven times and sent down seven times.

Even with that, Pintaro still put up an above-average 25.7% whiff rate (57th percentile), 81% zone-contact rate (77th percentile), 6.3% barrel rate (64th percentile), 43.2% ground ball rate (53rd percentile), and 11.8% swinging strike rate (51st percentile).

His 91.1 mph cutter was truly a plus pitch with a strong 2,176 spin rate, and he paired it with a good four-seam fastball that has a plus movement profile at 14.2 iBV and 8.1 HB from a low slot. His sweeper/curve sits with an incredible 2,995 spin rate while moving roughly 12 inches glove side. Moving arm side, he pairs a 94.8 miles per hour sinker and an 87.3 miles per hour changeup, which both moved 13-15 inches arm side. He is able to tunnel both his sinker/changeup combo and his four-seam/cutter combo very well, making both sets of pitches deceptive.

Pintaro has a deep pitch mix that is very similar to that of Michael King and can attack hitters with plus pitches that move in each and every direction. What differs him from King is his ability to command his pitches. Pintaro is not able to locate anywhere near the level of King. He is also not near as consistent in his delivery as King. He also has not received the consistency in role that King has. Pintaro showed a much stronger ability to locate his pitches when he got regular playing time in Triple-A.

So when viewing his season as a whole, it is probably important to also recognize what he did in Triple-A.

Across the Triple-A season, Pintaro put up:

2026 Traditional Stats (Triple-A): 3-0, 4.02 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 47 SO, 20 BB, 40.1 IP, 25 G
2026 Advanced Stats (Triple-A): 27.8% K%, 11.8% BB%, 3.72 xERA, 3.76 FIP, 4.37 xFIP

That isn’t half bad! This was paired with a 28.9% whiff rate (67th percentile), 34.3% hard-hit rate (66th percentile), 13.4% swinging strike rate (67th percentile), and 4% barrel rate (61st percentile).

Another thing to look at is how he improved from 2025 to 2026. He increased his velocity and significantly increased his spin rate while lowering his arm slot. Lowering his arm slot also allowed him to generate more horizontal break on his pitches. He has truly plus stuff, and if he can gain even half a grade of command, the Mets could be on the precipice of a true impact reliever.

The biggest thing Pintaro did in 2026 was show that he has the upside that he should be able to survive the offseason 40-man crunch. He has plus stuff and is the exact kind of pitcher a team tends to look to add as a buy-low in the offseason while anticipating a breakout. Pintaro will still have his final option available for the 2027 season to force his way onto the major league roster. His job this season was to serve as depth while taking a step forward, and he did exactly what was expected of him.

2027 PREVIEW

Assuming Pintaro survives the offseason on the 40-man roster, he will have the opportunity to earn an Opening Day roster spot out of spring training. The Mets likely will utilize his final option at times throughout the season to get fresh arms up (unless he forces the Mets to not do that). But if he can show improved command, he has the potential to be a true impact reliever or maybe even a starter (though that would take a huge command jump). It is unlikely he has a future as a starter, though he does have the necessary pitch mix with mid-rotation starter stuff if he were to make huge command gains. And while it is unlikely, it has happened before.

On the low end side, he is fine depth with an option. He can come up and down and has the ability to give quality outings as needed or throw around 50 pitches to save the bullpen before being sent back down to Triple-A. Whatever the outcome, this is a useful arm to have, assuming the Mets hold on to him.