Don't be Ofreidy to Fail

[Edgy MD]

There are below-the-radar signings in the offseason. God bless each and every one of them. Few go further below than the Mets signing Ofreidy Gomez.

Ofreidy is killing it in the highly competitive Dominican Winter League this offseason, locking in a 2.77 ERA with 15.2 K/9 in 13 innings with the famed Licey team, hitting 99 on the gun. On the other hand — hey! — he's 30 years old, has never so much as had a drink from a big league water cooler, and has logged an 8.18 ERA at AAA. And that last number was established over 77 innings.

And yet, like any shopper realizing that it is Christmas Eve and you still haven't crossed many names off your list, the Mets found that it is hard to be too discriminating. They saw something shiny, and decided to buy!

[FIMG=400]https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/cIYAAOSw6fVdJQ9G/s-l1600.jpg[/FIMG]

[FIMG=400]https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/54oAAOSw1IxmFDD2/s-l500.jpg[/FIMG]

[FIMG=400]https://i.ytimg.com/vi/v5fl6Bjdkg8/maxresdefault.jpg[/FIMG]

[MFS62]

The question is, when he's hitting 99 on the radar gun. will hitters be afraidy of Ofreidy?

Later

[ashie62]

Ofreidy has been getting cups of coffee in the Mexican league

30 years old and no longer invisible to the baseball Gods

I thought I saw he got a two year deal but that seems unlikely

Good luck to him. It's a Christmas miracle!

[Edgy MD]

I get the idea that that the Mets (and probably some other teams) see value in such characters as Ofreidy because — like Huascar Brazoban before him — he has reached full maturity and still has an assful of option years left to him.

Maybe he has figured something out and turned a corner, and maybe (probably) not, but they can yo-yo him up (assuming he ever makes it up) and down for three years while they find out, rather than expose him to waivers every time they need a roster spot.

And until (unless) he gets his first callup, he doesn't even need a roster spot at all.