The Mets missed out on another late-inning reliever in free agency on Friday night.
Tyler Rogers signed with the Blue Jays, agreeing to a three-year deal worth $37 million.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic was first to report Rogers landing in Toronto.
Rogers’ contract features a fourth-year vesting option. That fourth season can bring his deal up to $48 million.
The Mets had interest in bringing Rogers back after acquiring the sidearmer at the deadline this past summer. They traded pitching prospects Blade Tidwell and José Buttó along with outfielder Drew Gilbert to the Giants to get Rogers for the final few months of the regular season. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Mets made a “reasonable try” to retain Rogers but Toronto’s deal was too hard to pass up.
Between Edwin Díaz and Pete Alonso departing in free agency during the Winter Meetings, Robert Suarez signing elsewhere and now Rogers, it’s been an ugly week for New York.
With his unique submarine-style delivery, Rogers is one of the best relievers in baseball at avoiding hard contact. He pounds the strike zone and is elite at keeping the ball on the ground. Rogers, who turns 35 this month, is also as durable as any reliever in the sport — he led Major League Baseball this year with 81 appearances out of the bullpen with San Francisco and New York and posted a 1.98 ERA over 77 1/3 innings.
The Mets signed Devin Williams earlier this offseason, but instead of using him as a set-up man in front of Díaz, he’s now poised to be the closer moving forward in Flushing. The market for relievers on the open market has been moving quickly this offseason, so New York is running out of options to sign in free agency. Veterans like Luke Weaver and Pete Fairbanks are still available, although at this point the Mets’ best chance to acquire an elite high-leverage reliever would be a trade.