Devenski agrees to Minor League deal as Mets begin bullpen shuffle (sources)

NEW YORK -- Although October hasn’t yet ended, the Mets have already begun the work of improving their bullpen.

The team has agreed to terms on a Minor League contract with right-handed reliever Chris Devenski and invited him to Spring Training, according to multiple sources. The Mets have not confirmed the deal, which is the first of the offseason for them.

Major League free agency won’t begin until after the World Series, but clubs can still sign the dozens of players who recently declared for Minor League free agency.

Among them was Devenski, 33, a veteran of nine Major League seasons with a 3.98 ERA over 400 career innings. A member of the 2017 World Series champion Astros, Devenski appeared in five of Houston’s seven Fall Classic games and was the winning pitcher in Game 2.

Since undergoing elbow surgery in 2020, however, Devenski has struggled to regain his footing at the highest level. He holds a 6.13 ERA over parts of four seasons since that time, including a 6.75 mark in 19 appearances for the Rays this year. After Tampa Bay released him, Devenski hooked on with the Mariners and produced a 2.35 ERA in 23 appearances at Triple-A Tacoma.

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns is plenty familiar with Devenski, having overlapped with him in Houston from 2012-15.

Devenski’s signing is likely to be the first of numerous pitching depth additions over the coming months, as the Mets look to rebuild a bullpen that ranked 17th in the Majors in ERA. Phil Maton, Ryne Stanek, Drew Smith, Brooks Raley and Adam Ottavino can all become free agents after the World Series, leaving the Mets with few sure things beyond closer Edwin Díaz.

Last year, Stearns used Minor League deals to find multiple relievers who wound up playing key roles for them -- most notably left-hander Danny Young. He is likely to employ a similar strategy to create depth in 2025.