A key piece of the Mets bullpen for the past two seasons is now a free agent.
Right-handed reliever Adam Ottavino is declining his $6.75 million player option with the Mets for next season, making him a free agent.
Ottavino told Joel Sherman of The New York Post that he tried to redo his contract to stay with the Mets but that the team "was not interested."
"There was just a lot of uncertainty," he said. "They end up firing Buck and then eventually Billy was gone too. Those were the people I was fostering a partnership with and they were all gone. The goal was to be here a long time, but it's hard to walk blindly into something with a contract that you don't love with that much uncertainty."
Known for his signature sweeping slider, Ottavino has spent the last two seasons in Queens, pitching to a combined 2.62 ERA with 141 strikeouts over 127.1 innings.
Ottavino was especially tough on opposing right-handed hitters, holding them to a .161/.226/.253 slash line in 2022 and a .203/.306/.275 slash line this past season.
The veteran also saved 15 games as a Met, including 12 this past season following closer Edwin Diaz’s season-ending injury during the World Baseball Classic.
While Ottavino could sign a new deal to stay with the Mets, his tenure in Queens is likely over. It was reported on Friday that the Mets are picking up lefty Brooks Raley’s option for 2024, but the team will now need to revamp the bridge to Diaz, who should be completely healthy by the time spring training begins.