The Mets have re-signed pitcher Tim Byrdak to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training. Byrdak had surgery in September to repair an anterior capsule tear that was presumably caused by him being overworked by manager Terry Collins. Byrdak also had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his knee.
Byrdak made 56 relief appearances in 2012, posting a 4.40 ERA in 30 2/3 innings. When he was lost for the season, the Mets gave young lefty Josh Edgin his job as the team's left handed specialist.
I believe that a signing like this is sort of a favor for Byrdak, because he was probably not going to get a deal from a different team until he was fully recovered. The man is 39 years old, and I was certain that he was going to call it career, but apparently he still has something to prove. The truth of the matter is he will not be ready by the time the season starts, and that is a fact. Keep in mind that this is the same injury that Chris Young and Johan Santana dealt with, and we all know how long they were out for. However, since he is a relief pitcher, he could try to make it back earlier in the season, but that would jeopardize his health for the rest of the season.
I can't really argue with a signing like this, because he can serve as a mentor to Josh Edgin, whom I am very excited about seeing in 2013. Edgin has a nice arsenal of pitches, and could develop into a nice left handed specialist.
Regardless of Byrdak's health, he will likely have a small role on the 2013 team, considering that they are looking to get younger, and Byrdak is not a young man by any means. Minor league deals can never hurt, so I suppose signings like this need to be made by Alderson.
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