Jeremy Hefner Returns To Mets
According to Adam Rubin at ESPN-NY, the Mets will bring back Jeremy Hefner on a minor-league contract, essentially paying him while he rehabs from Tommy John surgery under their watchful eyes. I think this is a good, low-risk move to retain someone who should have value as a back-end / depth starter and long reliever. Your thoughts?
The actual odds of that? Perhaps not great, but worth the small investment.
I wonder if Hefner wanted to stay with the Mets, or if he just couldn’t find another taker? His response to being non-tendered was characterized as “not exactly thrilled”, which might indicate the latter.
As for his pitching, who knows whether the mechanical change that added velocity and deception also shredded his elbow, and which of those things will return? In his time with the Mets, he flashed plus control, movement, and slider break, but rarely at the same time. I don’t have high hopes, but he’s an easy guy to root for, so fingers crossed.
Of course, that’s a guy who you’d love to be able to go six innings, but you can’t have everything at the back end.