The Mets have signed right-handed pitcher Julianne Maryweather to a minor league contract, the team announced Saturday evening. Maryweather, 33, previously spent the last three seasons with the Chicago Cubs organization before being released in late May.
This season, the reliever appeared in 21 games, pitching 18.2 innings with a 5.79 ERA and a 1.821 WHIP, striking out 15 batters while walking 11. His 2024 season was hampered by injury, limiting him to just 15 innings across 15 appearances and resulting in a 6.60 ERA and 1.800 WHIP. New York is hopeful that the six-year MLB veteran can regain the form he showed early in his career with the Cubs.
Known for his power pitching, Maryweather relies on two main pitches: a slider and a four-seam fastball, averaging 96 mph on his fastball, a velocity that places him in the 80th percentile among this year’s major leaguers. Maryweather, a late bloomer, made his MLB debut with the Toronto Blue Jays at 28 in 2020 and played three seasons there. Over 152 career games, he tallied 127 strikeouts and 56 walks, with a 4.72 ERA and 1.434 WHIP in 158.1 innings pitched.
Additionally, the Mets announced the acquisition of right-handed pitcher Justin Garza from the San Francisco Giants in a cash deal earlier on Saturday.
Fan Take: This signing is significant for baseball fans because it highlights the Mets’ strategy of investing in experienced, high-velocity arms to bolster their bullpen depth. If Maryweather can regain his pre-injury form, he could become a valuable asset and add excitement to the Mets’ pitching staff moving forward.
