The Mets just announced that they have signed Lefty to a contract Genesis Cabrera to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. The 28-year-old Cabrera will pitch for his third team in the major leagues for the 2025 season.

The Mets currently only have Danny Young as a left-handed reliever on the 40-man roster.

Cabrera pitched parts of six seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals from 2019-2023 and for the Toronto Blue Jays from 2023-2024. In 2024, Cabrera threw 62 2/3 innings with a 3.59 ERA but a much higher 5.13 FIP, striking out 50 while walking 29. Cabrera generated ground balls at a 42.6% rate, but allowed hitters to hit .443 against him for a .443 batting average. 791 OPS.

Cabrera relies on a five-pitch mix, including a four-seam fastball that hits 99 MPH with a good drive, but hitters have ambushed him for a .392 average and a .784 SLG average this past season. Cabrera also throws a cutter that he threw 39% of the time in 2024, and hitters struggled with it, hitting just .202. Cabrera’s sinker was also hit hard, allowing a .364 average but a much lower SLG% of .582. Finally, he throws a changeup that he threw only to right-handed hitters in 2024, and a curveball that he throws mainly to right-handers, but will drop a few against left-handed hitters.

Cabrera offers a large repertoire of pitches and, with some refinement, can hopefully unlock some of his potential. His fastball and four-seam sinker run up and down on lefties, while his curve is the only pitch that runs away from them. If Cabrera can find a more reliable strikeout pitch for lefties, he could put up much better numbers. Possibly locating and using his cutter as a slider could allow him to keep hitters off his sinker/four-seam combination. It will be up to the Mets pitching coaches and lab to see if they can maximize his talent.