Position: RP B/T: R/R
Age: 33 (9/16/92)

2025 Traditional Stats: 4-1, 2.97 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 55 SO, 18 BB, 66 2/3 IP, 57 G
2025 Advanced Stats: 141 ERA+, 20.1 K%, 6.6 BB%, 4.09 xERA, 3.45 FIP, 4.21 xFIP, 0.6 fWAR, 0.9 bWAR

Rundown

Junis turned in a solid year in Cleveland and made the postseason for the first time playing for his fifth franchise in nine years. It was the first season he didn’t make a start, though he’s been used often as an effective multi-inning reliever for three years. He threw two innings or more nine times in 2025 and in eight of those outings he didn’t give up a run.

He has relied on good control (6% walk rate over 847 career innings), getting the most use last year from a sinker and slider that he threw more than 70% of the time. His offspeed run value, per Baseball Savant, was in the 92nd percentile. His fastball, which averaged 91 mph, ranked in the 20th percentile for run value, which could explain why he used it on only 8 percent of his deliveries.

Junis was a starter for 89 of 105 appearances during the first five years of his career in Kansas City. He made 30 starts in 2018 (4.37 ERA) and 31 in 2019 (5.24 ERA).

He then showed the ability to handle the swingman role at stops in San Francisco, Milwaukee and Cincinnati. In 2024, the Brewers dealt him and outfielder Joey Wiemer at the deadline to the Reds for Frankie Montas. That year his control was on another level. He walked eight in 67 innings.

Contract

He earned $4.5 million on a one-year deal with the Guardians last season. He’d be in line for a similar contract. A 29th round pick of the Royals in 2011 out of Rock Falls Township (Ill.) High School, he’s earned $18.8 million for his career.

Recommendation: Try to Sign

He would be a nice addition to the bullpen, which may be called upon often in 2026. The Mets were third in MLB in bullpen innings last year as Sean Manaea, Kodai Senga and Clay Holmes pitched seven full innings a combined two times. It is not necessarily bad to lead the league in bullpen innings (the Dodgers were first), but if the Mets are going to go that route, they should add quality depth beyond Devin Williams and Luke Weaver.

The post Free Agent Profile: Jakob Junis, RP appeared first on Metsmerized.

Position: RHP B/T: R/R

Age: 32 (09/16/1992)

2024 Traditional Stats: 24 G (6 GS), 67 IP, 2.69 ERA, 0.851 WHIP, 4-0, 51 K, 8 BB

2024 Advanced Stats: 162 ERA+, 20.2% K%, 3.2% BB%, 3.83 xERA, 3.69 FIP, 3.87 xFIP, 0.9 fWAR, 1.8 bWAR

Rundown

Jakob Junis enjoyed a bit of a resurgence in 2022 and 2023 with the San Francisco Giants, leading him to sign a one-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers that included a mutual option ahead of the 2024 season. However, he went on the injured list on April 6 with a shoulder injury and didn’t return until June 22. Junis was effective when healthy though, posting a 2.42 ERA in 26 innings before getting dealt to the Cincinnati Reds along with Joey Wiemer for Frankie Montas.

Junis was used exclusively as a reliever from June until August, but the Reds moved him to the starting rotation in September. He turned in a 1.57 ERA over 28 2/3 innings in his final six appearances of the season – five of which were starts. In fact, his numbers indicate he was far more effective as a starter, posting a 1.55 ERA in his six starts compared to his 3.55 ERA as a reliever. On the surface, this was the best Junis had ever performed in the majors.

Under the hood, there are some question marks surrounding Junis’ performance. He surrendered a 42.4% hard-hit rate and an average exit velocity of 90 miles per hour – both of which were his highest marks since 2021. However, his opponents managed just a .224 BABiP, the lowest of his career by a wide margin (his previous low was .297 in 2017). Junis also saw his ground-ball rate drop four percent, while his flyball and line-drive rates both increased by a little over two percent. His strikeout rate dropped from 26.2% to 20.2%, though his walk rate also dropped to a career-best 3.2%. Homers have always been Junis’ biggest weakness, but his 3.2% home run rate was a tick lower than his 2023 mark of 3.3%.

Junis relies on a four-pitch mix, leaning most heavily on his slider (45.3%) and sinker (36.2%). He also mixes in a four-seam fastball and a change-up. Junis has never been a particularly hard thrower, and his velocity dropped on all four of his pitches this past season, though that could be attributed to being used more frequently as a starter compared to 2023.

His slider is his most effective pitch, but his sinker saw the biggest improvement from 2023, racking up a plus-4 run value after getting torched for a negative-9 mark in 2023. Perhaps that offering became more effective because he started throwing his four-seamer more, which he also improved significantly from the season prior. Junis also held both righties and lefties in check, with lefties only posting a .644 OPS against him while righties had a .565 OPS.

Contract

Junis declined his end of a $8 million mutual option at the end of the 2024 season. He isn’t listed among MLB Trade Rumors‘ Top 50 Free Agents, but FanGraphs predicts he will receive a one-year deal worth $6 million.

Recommendation

Signing Junis feels like a typical David Stearns move – he’s a pitcher who won’t cost much money and has experience working as both a starter and a reliever. Even if Junis regresses closer to his expected stats, he would slot in well as a back-end starter or as a swingman for the bullpen. He would be a low-risk signing that could add to the depth the team has built this offseason.

The post Free Agent Profile: Jakob Junis, RHP appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Mets look to stretch their winning streak to nine games this afternoon! Friday night the Mets and Reds had a back-and-forth affair that ended with Mark Vientos hitting a walk-off home run in the bottom of the tenth inning. The Braves and Padres both won while the Diamondbacks lost. The Mets enter the weekend still tied for the third wild card spot in the National League but the Mets/Braves are now only 1.5 games out of the second spot. Every game is vital!

Photo by Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

1. Francisco Lindor – SS
2. Brandon Nimmo – LF
3. Mark Vientos – 3B
4. Pete Alonso – 1B
5. Jesse Winker – RF
6. J.D. Martinez – DH
7. Jose Iglesias – 2B
8. Francisco Alvarez – C
9. Harrison Bader – CF

Jose Quintana has pitched 145 1/3 innings over 27 starts this season with a 4.27 ERA, 5.01 FIP, 1.321 WHIP, and a 93 ERA+. Quintana had a rough go of it for his first four starts in August allowing 19 runs over 20 2/3 innings. In his last two starts, he has allowed two runs, one earned, over 11 1/3 innings scattering 10 hits and five walks. Quintana had a good start against the Reds at the start of the season, holding them to one run on a solo homer over 5 2/3 innings. The Reds have the following career numbers against him:

• Will Benson 0-2, BB
• Elly De La Cruz 1-6, HR, 2 K
• Santiago Espinal 2-4
• Ty France 2-3, HR
• Jonathan India 3-9, K
• Luke Maile 1-2
• Noelvi Marte 1-3
• Amed Rosario 5-9, 2B, K
• Spencer Steer 2-8, HR, 2 BB, 2 K
• Tyler Stephenson 1-3

Opposing Lineup

1. Jonathan India – 2B
2. Elly De La Cruz – SS
3. Tyler Stephenson – C
4. Spencer Steer – LF
5. Ty France – 1B
6. TJ Friedl – CF
7. Santiago Espinal – 3B
8. Amed Rosario – DH
9. Jake Fraley – RF

Jakob Junis gets the start for the Reds this afternoon. Junis has worked mostly out of the bullpen this season between the Brewers and the Reds. With the Reds, he has pitched in 10 games totaling 20 innings with a 4.05 ERA, 3.43 FIP, 1.000 WHIP, and a 79 ERA+. Overall this season he has a 3.13 ERA over 46 innings. The Reds have shifted his workload in his last two outings, going from pitching 1-2+ innings to now 3-4 innings. In his last two outings, he has pitched 7 2/3 innings allowing only one run. In his last game, he hit a career-high in pitches tossed at 62. The Mets have the following career numbers against Junis:

• Pete Alonso 1-6, 3 K
• Francisco Alvarez 0-1
• Harrison Bader 0-7, 3 K
• Jose Iglesias 3-15, 2B, BB, 4 K
• Francisco Lindor 20-40, 4 2B, 3B, 6 HR, 2 K
• Starling Marte 0-3
• J.D. Martinez 5-15, 2B, 2 BB, 3 K
• Jeff McNeil 0-1
• Brandon Nimmo 0-4, K
• Tyrone Taylor 0-4
• Luis Torrens 1-3
• Jesse Winker 0-2, K

Game Notes

• Jeff McNeil will miss the rest of the regular season with a fractured wrist. A return is possible in 2024 but only if the Mets go deep into the playoffs. The club will play short today.
• The Mets have six walk-off HRs this year, which is tied with 1963 & 1962 teams for the most in a season in franchise history, courtesy of Sarah Langs. Overall, the Mets have 10 walk-off wins this season. It’s their highest total since they recorded 11 in 2021. The franchise record is 14, which was accomplished in 1971. The team’s 10 walk-off victories are tied for second in the major leagues.
• The Mets are on a season-high eight-game winning streak. This is the team’s longest winning streak since an eight-game streak from August 30-10, 2019. The last time the Mets had a longer winning streak was a nine-game streak from April 3-13, 2018. They have won nine of their last 10, 12 of their last 15 and 15 of their last 20. New York has posted a 1.85 ERA (15 ER/73.0 IP) with 21 walks and 80 strikeouts over the winning streak. This includes a 0.72 ERA (2 ER/25.0 IP) and 31 strikeouts from the bullpen. The team is batting .260/.325/.439 over that span. The Mets have outscored their opponents 38-16 in the streak.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Jose Quintana’s 100th Career Win. Jose Quintana is 99-102 lifetime. Pitcher wins are definitely an imperfect stat, especially on the scale of a singular game. But over a career wins can define persistence and tenacity. Getting to this plateau is a pretty big deal and hopefully, Quintana can do it today. For context, he was sitting at 98 career wins for the better part of a month.
2. Francisco Lindor’s 100th Run. Francisco Lindor is now sitting on 99 runs scored for the season. He is poised to cross the 100-run threshold for the second time as a Met and for the fourth time in his career. The most runs he has scored as a Met is 108 and in his career is 129. His career mark feels like a stretch at this point of the season, but it’s not impossible. He’s also only two doubles away from 40 on the season and four stolen bases from his second consecutive 30-30 seasons. A lot of milestones are possible for the Mets’ (and the National League’s) MVP.
3. Mark Vientos. The hero from Friday night’s game is in the midst of a breakout season. Over his last nine games, he has gone 15-for-37 with four home runs. In the month of September, he has gone 8-for-17 with three home runs and only four strikeouts. He’s been an X-factor for the Mets this season. This is of course burying that he hit two home runs in last night’s game, getting the Mets bats started in the first inning and closing the game in 10th.

Let’s go Mets!

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Position: RP B/T: R/R
Age: 31 (09/16/1992)

2023 Traditional Stats: 40 G, 4 GS, 86 IP, 3.87 ERA, 1.291 WHIP, 4-3, 96 SO, 21 BB
2023 Advanced Stats: 109 ERA+, 26.2% SO%, 5.7% BB%, 3.79 xERA, 3.74 FIP, 3.66 xFIP, 0.7 fWAR, 0.8 bWAR

Rundown

K-BB% is a relatively strong indicator of future pitcher performance. Given that it’s two of the inputs pitchers can control, according to the FIP/DIPs calculations, we can expect pitchers who hold a strong K-B% in T season to perform similarly, if not better, in T+1 Season.

In 2023, the National League Leaders (min. 80 innings) in K-BB% included studs such as Spencer Strider, Zac Gallen, and Zack Wheeler, emerging stars like Jesus Luzardo, Eury Perez, and Hunter Greene, and then there’s Jakob Junis.

Junis was an unheralded starting pitcher during his five seasons with the Royals. However, under the watchful touch of Brian Bannister and Andrew Bailey, he completely revamped his arsenal to emerge as the latest success story out of the San Francisco Pitching Development Program.

Junis served as a swingman for Gabe Kapler‘s Giants in 2022, posting a 4.42 ERA over 23 relief appearances. The following season, the Giants moved him to a relief-only role and reaped the benefits, watching him emerge as a trusted option. His success can be attributed to the subtle, yet effective changes, he made to his arsenal.

In 2023, Junis threw his slider 63% of the time, the highest mark in baseball. In 2022, Fangraphs‘ Kyle Kishimoto looked into the changes Junis made to his arsenal, noting that he employed a slider-heavy approach with the Giants, an approach that was made popular by former Ray Matt Wisler.

He threw his slider often for good reason; it was graded as one of the best in the game. The pitch had a Stuff+ of 117, and Pitching Bot graded it as a 61 (on a 20-80 scouting scale); both marks were among the top 20 in the game. Junis’ slider isn’t truly a slider; pitch classification systems identify it as a sweeper, a pitch that’s made strides in popularity during the last few seasons. Several of the Mets’ recent pitching signees have this offering in common, including Sean Manaea.

Jakob Junis, 85mph Wipeout Slider…and Sword. ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/urdUqwjHf6

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 26, 2023

By prioritizing his slider, he limited the usage of his ineffective fastball and instead evolved into a slider/sinker pitcher. Maxwell Resnick of BaseballCloud suggested that Junis’ supination made him a strong candidate to eradicate his fastball and instead develop a sinker, a change that the Giants later identified and implemented. In 2023, the change paid dividends as Junis’ sinker ticked up in effectiveness. Its velocity rose to 93.7 mph, a career-high, and its Stuff+ ticked 12 points.

To visualize his change in pitch mix, click here.

Junis’ revamped approach resulted in an impressive 3.87 ERA/3.74 FIP with San Francisco in 2023. Putting aside his arsenal metrics for a moment, there were some other positive traits in his profile. His BABIP ticked 20 points above his career high, and although he allowed 12 home runs on the season, xHR (expected home runs) pegged that he should’ve allowed nine.

Contract 

MLBTradeRumors projected Junis to receive a two-year contract worth $15 million dollars, noting that the Diamondbacks and Padres were among his most likely suitors. Trevor Williams parlayed a swingman role with the Mets into a two-year agreement with the Washington Nationals last winter. Junis could land a similar pact.

Recommendation

Junis served as a multi-inning weapon for Gabe Kapler throughout the season, throwing multiple innings in 29 of his 40 outings. The Mets similarly employed Williams in the 2022 campaign and sorely missed him in 2023. Michael Tonkin signed with the idea that he could fill a similar role, though, Junis would represent a more established profile.

Given the Mets’ openings in their bullpen, I think this is a profile the Mets should target for the 2024 campaign.

The post Free Agent Profile: Jakob Junis, P appeared first on Metsmerized.

The New York Mets disappointed in San Francisco this week, but Francisco Lindor did not.

In the Mets’ three-game series against the Giants, the 28-year-old went 5-for-13 with four runs scored, two doubles, one triple, two home runs, and nine RBIs.

“I feel better for sure,” said Lindor. “I’m putting the ball in play.”

In the first two games of the series, Lindor had plenty of company on the offensive side of the ball, as the Mets collected a total of 36 hits and 25 runs. However, on Wednesday, Lindor continued to produce despite the Mets having a lackluster offense that only put together five hits and three runs.

Lindor was the only Met with a multi-hit game, as the shortstop went 2-for-4 with a home run, run scored, and RBI during the 9-3 loss.

His first hit came in his second at-bat during the top of the fourth inning. Facing Jakob Junis, Lindor took the first three pitches in the at-bat to work the count 3-0. He then took a sinker for a borderline strike on the inside of the zone, followed by a slider for a strike well within the zone. With the count full, he finally settled on an 82.7 MPH slider, lining it 100.9 MPH into right field for a double.

“I’m swinging at the pitches I want to swing at,” said Lindor. “I’m hitting them forward. Before I was swinging at the pitch I wanted and was missing it, and now I’m actually hitting the ball forward.”

In the sixth inning, Lindor recorded his second hit of the game, which was sent 403 feet the other way into left center field for a solo home run. Lindor did not wait too long for the pitch he wanted, as he turned on the second pitch of the at-bat, an 83.4 MPH changeup.

Buck Showalter praised Lindor’s performance since the beginning of the season and also gave him credit for his defense.

“He’s been playing a really good shortstop too, and his effort’s always good,” said Showalter. “That’s what I’m so proud of.”

On the season, Lindor is now hitting .250/.337/.443 with 31 runs scored, eight doubles, eight home runs, and 33 RBIs. He now has a 126 wRC+ this season, which ranks fifth among MLB shortstops.

“Some statistics, if you look at our categories across the board, he’s right there either leading or close to it in just about everything,” said Showalter.

Lindor is tied for first on the Mets in games played (46), first in runs scored (31), second in home runs (8), and second in RBIs (33).

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