According to MLB Network Insider Jon Heyman, the Mets are “heavily involved” with free agent Brad Hand. He also noted that if the Mets were to miss out on Hand, a reunion with Justin Wilson is a secondary option.
Heyman went on to note that he expects Hand to sign fairly soon and there’s a “good chance” he ends up with the Mets.
Heyman mentioned these interests while making an appearance on Thursday during an appearance on WFAN. While their interest in Hand has been well documented, including Sandy Alderson himself saying he likely would have claimed Hand while he was on waivers, this is the first report of interest in bringing back Wilson.
Wilson, 33, pitched to a 2.91 ERA over 58.2 innings and two season with the Mets. Wilson has been known to be wild, but posted his best BB/9 (4.1) last year since his 2016 season in Detroit (2.6).
Over nine seasons, Wilson has a career ERA of 3.27, a 3.44 FIP, WHIP of 1.279, a K/9 of 9.9, and a BB/9 of 4.1. If the Mets were to sign either of these relievers, they’d join a group of left-handed options that includes recently acquired Stephen Tarpley, the returning Jerry Blevins, and Daniel Zamora.
