Mets sign trio of veterans to Minor League deals

The New York Mets announced today that the club has signed All-Star infielder Eduardo Núñez, catcher René Rivera and right-handed pitcher Erasmo Ramírez to minor league contracts and invited all three to major league spring training.

Nú?ez, 32, is a 10-year major league veteran whose major league career began in New York, playing his first four seasons with the Yankees (2010–2013). The Dominican infielder is a lifetime .276/.310/.404 hitter in 856 major league games with the Yankees, Minnesota (2014–2016), San Francisco (2016–2017) and Boston (2017–2019). He was named an AL All-Star in 2016 when he hit 16 homers, drove in 67 runs and stole 40 bases. Nú?ez helped Boston win the 2018 World Series, hitting a key home run in Game 1 vs. the Dodgers and batting .300 in the series.

Rivera, 36, has played parts of 11 seasons in the major leagues with eight different teams. He has appeared in more games (128) for the Mets than any other franchise, including nine games in 2019 after spending most of the year with Syracuse (AAA). The Bayamon, Puerto Rico native continues his third stint with the organization, having previously played for the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate in 2009 and with the major league team in 2016–2017. He hit 26 home runs in 108 combined games between Triple-A and the majors last season.

Ramírez, 29, has pitched in all or parts of eight major league seasons with Seattle (2012–2014, 2017–2018), Tampa Bay (2015–2017) and Boston (2019), compiling a 32–39 record with three saves and a 4.40 ERA in 193 games (92 starts).