While fans await the free-agent decisions of Pete Alonso, Sean Manaea, and other big names, the New York Mets have once again added to their pitching depth.
On Friday afternoon, MLB.com's Anthony DiComo reported that the Mets signed left-hander Anthony Gose and right-hander Luis F. Ortiz to minor league contracts. Both relievers received non-roster invitations to spring training, although Ortiz will be rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
Gose, 34, a former second-round pick, began his career as an outfielder, spending five seasons in the majors with the Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers from 2012 to 2016. In 2017, he transitioned to the mound, working his way through the minors with three different organizations.
He also represented Team USA on the 2020 Olympic team before making his major league pitching debut with the Cleveland Guardians in September 2021.
Over parts of three seasons with Cleveland (2021, 2022, and 2024), Gose has posted a 4.78 ERA (4.69 FIP) and a 1.34 WHIP in 32 innings of relief, striking out 11.5 batters per nine innings. He features an upper-90s fastball and an 87 mph slider, though both pitches are still a work in progress.
Out of minor league options, Gose was designated for assignment multiple times last season but remained with Cleveland for the entire year after going unclaimed on waivers.
He allowed five earned runs in 4.1 innings at the major league level, but at Triple-A Columbus, he posted a 3.22 ERA and 1.37 WHIP while generating an eye-popping 54.5% whiff rate over 44.2 innings.
Ortiz, 29, was drafted 30th overall by the Texas Rangers in 2014. After being traded twice, in deals headlined by Jonathan Lucroy and Jonathan Schoop, he made his MLB debut with the Baltimore Orioles in 2018.
In 24 major league appearances, Ortiz owns a 4.76 ERA, a 1.71 WHIP, and a 6.6 K/9 rate over 34 innings. He throws a low-to-mid 90s sinker and four-seamer, along with a sweeper and a curveball.
Ortiz's most productive stint in the majors came with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2023, when he struck out 16 batters and posted a 3.32 ERA in 19 innings.
He made just one appearance with the Phillies in 2024 before undergoing Tommy John surgery in July, making it unlikely that he will return until the latter part of next season, if at all.