The New York Mets made a couple of depth moves, as the slow-moving free agent market has many teams scrambling to set up their depth charts with the start of spring training just six weeks away.
The first move involved pitcher Robinson Martinez, a 27-year old reliever who was with the Baltimore Orioles last year. Martinez posted an ERA of 4.76 with 22 strikeouts over 22-2/3 innings, according to Nathan Cooper of MetsMerized Online. Martinez has also showed well in winter ball, with an ERA of 3.52 and 19 strikeouts in 15-1/3 innings.
Martinez will be assigned to Triple A Syracuse, and he’ll get a look in spring training. He’s been in the Philadelphia Phillies organization as well as the Orioles, and his strikeout rate is why he keeps getting a look. He has a live arm with a four-seam fastball in the mid-90s to go with a mid-80s slider and change, and the scouting report on Martinez is that his fastball has good movement up in the zone.
That can be a double-edge sword for Martinez, however. When his fastball doesn’t move well it gets hit hard, and Martinez has also struggled occasionally with control.
The second signing is infielder Christian Arroyo, who has a bit more of a major league history. Arroyo was once considered a prospect for the San Francisco Giants, but his last appearance in the big leagues was in 2023 with the Boston Red Sox, where he was a depth piece.
Arroyo did have one promising season with the Bosox, however. In 2022 he hit .286 with six home runs and 36 RBIs in 280 at-bats, but he was part of an unsettled infield at the time and the Red Sox elected to move on from him.
His big calling card is versatility. Arroyo can play all four infield positions, and he’s played in right field as well, so he could be a depth piece for departed Jeff McNeil, who was traded to the San Francisco Giants.
Mets GM has rebuilt the Mets infield to emphasize defense and run prevention, and there’s a job to be had if Arroyo can show out in spring training.
Third baseman Ronny Mauricio hasn’t shown the positional versatility so far, and while Luisangel Acuna is playing well in winter ball, he has yet to translate the success to a full season as a utility infielder. Both players are considered trade candidates, so that could also be part of the logic behind this signing.