Familia’s offseason preference was always a return to the Mets

Jeurys Familia would rather be a setup man for the New York Mets than close for another team.

Familia had 123 saves for the Mets, who traded him to Oakland last July. He instructed agents Sam and Seth Levinson to pursue any possibility to return to the Mets.

“Honestly, that was my goal, be back with the Mets,” Familia said during a conference call Monday, three says after his $30 million, three-year contract was finalized.

New York recently acquired 2018 big league saves leader Edwin Diaz from Seattle along with All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano. Because of that, Familia will return in a different role.

“I want to pitch whatever innings they want to put me in the game,” Familia said. “He’s one of the best relievers in the game, the best closer. It’s going to be fun.”

Familia gets a $2 million signing bonus payable on equal installments on July 1 and Dec. 10 next year. He has salaries of $6 million in 2019 and $11 million in each of the final two seasons. The Mets will defer $1 million of his 2020 salary, payable on Jan. 15, 2022. They will defer the same amount of his 2021 pay, payable on July 1, 2022.

He gets a $500,000 performance bonus in any season he has 50 games finished. He would get a $1 million assignment bonus if traded.

A 29-year-old right-hander, Familia said returning to New York was a preference because his wife’s family lives in the area.

He was 8-6 with 18 saves in 24 chances and a 3.13 ERA for the Mets and A’s last season. He signed with the Mets at age 17 and had 43 saves in 2015 when New York reached the World Series. He led the majors with a franchise-record 51 saves the following year and was an All-Star, again helping New York reach the playoffs.

Familia served a 15-game suspension at the start of 2017 for violating Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy. Later that year, he had a blood clot that required surgery and finished 2-2 with a 4.38 ERA and six saves in 26 games.

Last season, he was 4-4 with a 2.88 ERA and 17 saves in 21 chances with the Mets. Dodgers announcer Steiner gets contract extension.

HAPP DEAL FINALIZED

Left-hander J.A. Happ and the New York Yankees have finalized a $34 million, two-year contract.

Happ gets $17 million in each of the next two seasons, and his deal includes a $17 million option for 2021 that could become guaranteed is he has either 27 or more starts as a pitcher in 2020 or 165 or more innings that year.

He is projected to be part of a rotation that includes Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia and James Paxton, acquired from Seattle in a trade.

A first-time All-Star, Happ was acquired from Toronto on July 26 as a summer rental and went 7-0 with a 2.69 ERA in 11 starts for New York, leaving him 17-6 with a 3.65 ERA for the season. He lost lose at Boston in the AL Division Series opener, allowing five runs in two innings.

Right-hander Parker Bridwell was designated for assignment to clear a roster spot Monday.

SABATHIA BONUS

Plunking an opponent paid off for CC Sabathia.

The New York Yankees gave Sabathia a $500,000 performance bonus, even though the 38-year-old left-hander was ejected from his final regular-season start six outs shy of the 155 innings specified in his contract for the payment.

Sabathia hit Tampa Bay’s Jesus Sucre starting the sixth inning on Sept. 27 with his 55th pitch of the night, retaliation for Andrew Kittredge throwing a pitch behind Austin Romine in the top half.

“We thought it was a very nice gesture by the Yankees,” Sabathia’s agent, Kyle Thousand of Roc Nation Sports, told The Associated Press on Monday. “CC was very appreciative and is really excited to come back next year and, hopefully, win a championship.”

Neither side announced the decision, which became evident when the $500,000 was included in the Yankees’ final luxury tax payroll.

“It was something that we did very private and weren’t looking to publicize, and I’ll just leave it at that,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said.

Sabathia hit Jake Bauers on the knuckles of his right hand with an 88 mph fastball with two outs in the fifth inning. Kittredge threw a 93 mph fastball behind Romine’s neck with his initial pitch in the sixth, and plate umpire Vic Carapazza issued a warning to both benches. Sabathia started out of the Yankees dugout and had to be intercepted by manager Aaron Boone.

After New York opened an 11-0 lead, Sabathia hit Sucre the lower left leg with a 93 mph cutter on his first pitch in the bottom half, causing Carapazza to eject the pitcher and Boone.

“I don’t really make decisions based on money, I guess,” Sabathia said after the game. “I just felt like it was the right thing to do.”

Sabathia had a $10 million base salary last year. He re-signed with the Yankees for an $8 million salary and said 2019 will be his final season.

Sabathia, the 2007 AL Cy Young Award winner with Cleveland, is 246-153 with a 3.70 ERA and 2,986 strikeouts in 18 major league seasons. He was 9-7 with a 3.65 ERA in 29 starts last season.