Mets Sign Shreve and Jankowski

Citi Field, home of the Mets. Photo by Jason Schott.

The Mets signed a pair of seasoned veterans on Thursday, as they added left-handed reliever Chasen Shreve to their strong bullpen, and outfielder Travis Jankowski to minor league contracts with invitations to Major League Spring Training.

Shreve, 31, will be returning to the Mets after spending time with the team in 2020, as well as being known to New York fans for his time with the Yankees. He spent the 2021 season with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He appeared in 57 games for the Pirates and posted a 3-3 record with a 3.20 ERA (20 earned runs in 56.1 innings) with 28 walks and 45 strikeouts. He posted the ninth-lowest ERA in the National League among left-handed relievers (minimum 50 games pitched) and held opposing hitters to 15 hits in 101 at-bats with runners on base (.149 average).

In eight major league seasons, Shreve has appeared in 292 games, with a record of 20-11 with two saves, a 3.63 ERA (115 earned runs in 285 innings) with 142 walks and 313 strikeouts. He has been particularly tough on lefthanded batters, holding them to a .222 (91-410) batting average during his career.

Shreve appeared in 17 games for the Mets in the shortened 2020 season, going 1-0 with a 3.96 ERA (11 earned runs in 25 innings) with 12 walks and 34 strikeouts. Lefties were just 2-32 (.063), the third-lowest mark in the Majors that season.

Jankowski appeared in 76 games with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2021, and had a slash line of .252/.364/.351 with one home run, 10 RBI, 22 walks, 24 runs, six doubles, two triples, and five steals. In 426 games over seven seasons, the left-handed hitter has slashed .239/.322/.318 with nine home runs, 52 RBI, 118 walks, 35 doubles, nine triples, and 69 steals.