PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — A bullpen fixture is returning to the New York Mets.
The Mets and right-handed reliever Drew Smith agreed to a one-year deal worth $1 million with a club option for 2026 that would pay him an additional $2 million plus incentives, a league source confirmed. MLB.com first reported the move.
Smith, 31, underwent a hybrid Tommy John surgery in July. He hopes to return by the end of the season, a person familiar with the matter said, but it’s more likely he will get to full strength in 2026.
Smith is the Mets’ longest-tenured pitcher, spending parts of six seasons with the club. Over his time with New York, Smith produced a 3.48 ERA/4.36 FIP. In recent seasons, he graduated to a high-leverage role. He posted some promising numbers last season before the injury, including a 3.06 ERA/3.56 FIP with a 29.1 percent strikeout rate in 17 2/3 innings.
Once the deal becomes official, the Mets can place Smith on the 60-day injured list.
“Great guy,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He’s a guy that, when healthy, takes the ball. It was sad that he went down the way he went down, but he means a lot to the guys in the locker room. This is a guy that takes the baseball, gives you multiple innings, gives you high-leverage innings — it doesn’t matter; he’s a gamer.”
(Photo of Drew Smith with catcher Francisco Alvarez: Sam Hodde / Getty Images)
