The New York Mets enter April 25 with an 18-7 record amid a strong start to the 2025 campaign. The addition of Juan Soto and the return of Pete Alonso has been massive for this team as they try and make a deep postseason run this time around.
The Mets then wasted no time adding a key bullpen piece. On Friday, it was revealed that reliever Brooks Raley is back with the Mets on a one-year deal.
Brooks Raley Returns to the Mets
Joel Sherman of The New York Post had the news on Raley’s deal.
“Brooks Raley has agreed to a one-year deal with a team option for 2026 with the New York Mets, pending physical.”
Raley spent the 2023 season with the Mets, appearing in 66 games with a 2.80 ERA and 25 holds, along with three saves.
In 2024, Raley appeared in eight games before missing the rest of the year with elbow inflammation in a critical blow to the Mets’ bullpen. He then underwent Tommy John surgery and was not able to return.
However, doctors expect Raley to begin rehab sometime in June, which would be a big summertime boost for the Mets.
A Look at Raley’s Whirlwind Career
Raley’s career has been quite the whirlwind, also. Here’s a list of the stops he has made in his professional career:
- Chicago Cubs: 2012-2013
- Lotte Giants, Korea: 2015-2020
- Cincinnati Reds: 2020
- Houston Astros: 2020-2021
- Tampa Bay Rays: 2022
- New York Mets: 2023-2024
Now, he returns to the Mets in a surprising turn of events.
Brooks Raley in 2023 with the Mets:
54.2 IP
2.80 ERA
61 KRaley was one of the best relievers in all of baseball in 2023 and 2022, and now re-joins what has been a top bullpen in baseball early on in 2025. pic.twitter.com/c8rgNCpOH2
— MetsMuse (@MetsMuse) April 25, 2025
In the middle of April, Raley threw a session in hopes of landing an MLB deal, as John Mincone reported.
“Update on Brooks Raley: He threw 30 pitches yesterday in front of 12 teams, the Mets being one of them. He was 89-90 T91 and mixed in his changeup and sweeper as he continues his post TJ ramp-up.”
The bullpen has been a strong suit for the Mets early on, and adding Raley sometime this season will only help things when crunch time rolls around.
With the Mets off to an 18-7 start, owner Steve Cohen had a message for the fans, with everybody excited: “We need to keep riding this wave . There will be mean reverson at some point but there is something special happening at Citifield. So much fun !”
Now, the Mets bring back Raley, who was a key part of the bullpen before he suffered the injury, and fans seem excited about the addition as the calendar is about to flip to May.