Mets announce Jorge Lopez contract, two more minor-league deals
Orioles relief pitcher Jorge Lopez reacts at the end of a game against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium on May 23, 2022. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
It’s time to update your Mets spring training roster again.
They made official on Thursday a one-year contract with righthanded reliever Jorge Lopez, who agreed last week to a $2 million deal. They also tacked on two more minor-league deals with invitations to big-league camp: outfielder Trayce Thompson and righthander Cam Robinson.
Lopez, who will be 31 next season, was an All-Star with the Orioles in 2022 but struggled with the Twins, Marlins and Orioles in 2023, posting a 5.95 ERA and 1.51 WHIP. President of baseball operations David Stearns is familiar with Lopez through Lopez’s time in the Brewers’ organization (including major-league cameos in three seasons).
He joins a bullpen that still needs significant work. Edwin Diaz, Brooks Raley and Drew Smith are at the top of the list of returning names; Lopez is the only reliever to sign a guaranteed contract with the Mets so far this offseason.
Another Milwaukee connection: Robinson, a reliever and a late-round draft pick in 2017. Most recently, he struggled significantly (5.33 ERA) in the upper minors. But in 2022 did well (2.49 ERA) across three levels of the minors.
Thompson, who will turn 33 during spring training, is a veteran of parts of seven seasons in the majors but might be best known for his famous basketball family. He is the brother of Klay Thompson of Golden State and the son of Mychal Thompson, a two-time NBA champion with the Lakers in the 1980s.
For the Mets, Thompson will serve as outfield depth, a section of the roster where they don’t have many options beyond their major-league regulars. He can play all three spots and has a career slash line of .212/.300/.411.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
