Levi Luna of TN8 Nicaragua was the first to report a minor-league agreement between the New York Mets and right-hander Erasmo Ramirez. The deal, as confirmed by MLB.com‘s own Jesse Sanchez, includes an invitation to spring training.
Ramirez, who will be 30 in May, made just one appearance at the big-league level last season for the Boston Red Sox. He made 24 starts with their Triple-A affiliate in Pawtucket, where he posted a 4.74 ERA with 6.8 K/9 against 3.1 BB/9.
His last extensive role in the majors came between the Tampa Bay Rays and Seattle Mariners in 2017, when he made 37 appearances (19 starts) and sported a 4.39 ERA/4.43 FIP with a career-high 7.5 K/9. Since then, he’s allowed 37 earned runs and 16 homers in 48.2 innings.
In his career as a reliever, Ramirez has produced a 53.5% groundball and 20.1% soft-hit rate, though even then, the longball has even plagued him to an extent (1.4 HR.9).
He’s consistently sat in the low-90s with his two-seamer through his career, playing off the spin with a changeup that has totaled 19.4 runs above average through his career. Even in a lost 2018, Ramirez’s fastball spin made the 78th percentile, though it’s essential he maintain movement as a contact-first pitcher.
It will be interesting to see what sort of role the Mets plan to deploy him in this spring, though one can reasonably expect him to compete with other depth pieces like Michael Wacha, Stephen Gonsalves, Walker Lockett, and Corey Oswalt for a chance to soak up long-relief work.
