The Mets bolstered their bullpen on Thursday afternoon by signing veteran reliever Brad Brach.
The 33-year-old was designated for assignment by the Cubs this past weekend. After clearing waivers, the Mets scooped him up. According to Matt Ehalt of Yahoo! Sports, Brach had offers from eight other teams but decided to sign with the Mets.
Bach struggled with the Cubs this season before being DFA'd, pitching to 6.13 ERA in 42 games with a 1.77 WHIP. Over his nine-year career, though, he's been a quality reliever. An All-Star with Baltimore in 2016, Brach has a career ERA of 3.32 and has struck out 527 batters in 495.2 career innings.
After a dreadful first half, the Mets' bullpen has been among the best in baseball since the All-Star break, entering their most recent game with the second-lowest bullpen ERA in the second half, and Brach will give them another right-handed arm who also has postseason experience.
To make room for Brach, the Mets optioned left-hander Donnie Hart to Triple-A Syracuse. The team also announced that outfielder Brandon Nimmo has been transferred to the 60-day IL.