Ottavino tells why he returned
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Adam Ottavino never shut the door on a return to the Mets.
With a new regime taking over and an option that would have deferred much of his 2024 salary, the veteran right-hander felt it best to test the free agent market. But even after Ottavino declined his player option to return to Queens for a third season in November, the Mets were still in the back of his mind.
“It was never not on the radar,” Ottavino told the Daily News on Wednesday at Clover Park. “It was something that always had the potential to happen. As the reliever market started to move, I had teams interested in me, but not to the level where I would have taken this opportunity and put it on the back burner.”
Initially, the Mets didn’t show much interest in Ottavino. He didn’t have much familiarity with new manager Carlos Mendoza, a former Yankees coach, or president of baseball operations David Stearns, who came from the Milwaukee Brewers. But interest heated up and the two parties agreed on a one-year $4.5 million contract late in January.
“Initially, when I first opted out, I tried to negotiate a little bit in kind of an area similar to where I ended up signing anyway,” Ottavino said. “They just weren’t interested at that time and wanted to let things play out. So I took the risk not knowing what would happen. I didn’t like what I saw [on the free agent market]. Luckily, there were no broken fences or burnt bridges. Everything is good.”
Making it official: The 60-day injured list opened up Wednesday and the Mets utilized the opportunity to make a necessary roster move. Infielder Ronny Mauricio (ACL surgery) was placed on the 60-day IL, clearing space on the 40-man roster for righthander Shintaro Fujinami, who was recently signed to a one-year contract.
However, Fujinami is still waiting on a visa and cannot work out with the team until it arrives. The reliever is in Port St. Lucie and the team expects the issue to be resolved soon.
A former teammate of Kodai Senga on the 2017 World Baseball Classic team, the Mets’ top starter is looking forward to having his friend and countrymate around this season. Like Senga, the 2023 season was Fujinami’s first in the Major Leagues. He had a rocky start with the Oakland A’s as a starter but was useful as a reliever and was later traded to the Baltimore Orioles during their playoff chase.