Mets sign Mallex, 10 others to Minors deals
This browser does not support the video element.
The Mets have signed 11 players to Minor League deals, the club announced Wednesday. Among that group are former Mariners center fielder Mallex Smith and former Braves reliever Arodys Vizcaíno. The other nine players are catchers Bruce Maxwell and David Rodríguez; outfielder Johneshwy Fargas; infielders Jake Hager, José Peraza, Luis Carpio and Mitchell Tolman; and right-handers Harol Gonzalez and Oscar De La Cruz.
Smith, 27, stole 86 bases in 2018-19, including a Major League-best 46 in '19. The speedy center fielder was eighth among outfielders with 10 outs above average that year, but he consistently struggled to produce at the plate while with Seattle from 2019-20, hitting .220/.290/.323 over 148 games.
Vizca¨Ēno, who turns 30 next week, was very good from 2017-19, posting a 2.53 ERA over 105 appearances (99 2/3 innings) for Atlanta. But after his season was cut short by right shoulder inflammation in '18, he made just four appearances for the Braves in '19 before dealing with the same injury and then being traded to the Mariners. He never made an appearance for Seattle and became a free agent after the '19 season.