Seattle Mariners reliever Yimi García is an intriguing free-agent bullpen piece with a career 3.59 ERA. Many teams this offseason need to upgrade their bullpen, and among relievers, García’s name will be a popular target. His season with the Mariners was not very eventful, as he spent a lot of time on the injured list with a lingering elbow injury. He was only able to pitch in 10 games and put up an ERA of 6.00. This is not the typical caliber of García that Toronto Blue Jays fans are familiar with. At his best, the Dominican native García is one of the better relievers in baseball who can be placed in key situations when a starter is struggling. Throughout his career, he’s been able to sustain a respectable ERA of around the mid-3 range.
Potential Landing Spots for Free Agent Yimi García
New York Mets
The Mets are one of many teams in need of multiple bullpen arms. Had García been in the bullpen for the Mets this past postseason, their fate could have turned out differently. The Mets finished 17th in the majors in bullpen ERA (4.03) in 2024. Unfortunately, the postseason turned an even darker corner for their pen. If Garcia can remain healthy in 2025 and return to his ace pitching form, he would be a solid addition to the Mets bullpen. He would be coming in as an experienced veteran with a six-pitch mix with a fastball that can reach the high 90s. Taking tabs on García is something the Mets should certainly consider if the price is right. García is a prime free-agent reliever, sporting a 29.5 K-BB%, 2.64 FIP, and 130 Stuff+.
Yimi García walked a pair but worked a scoreless inning of relief in the @Mariners win over the Phillies last night. His sweeper with nearly 11″ of horizontal break won our Relief Pitcher Pitch of the Day pic.twitter.com/aJueyeDg8Y
— Baseball Prospectus (@baseballpro) August 4, 2024
Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays need bullpen help this offseason and García would be a familiar arm that the Blue Jays could acquire. García had a solid tenure as a Blue Jay, sporting a 10-9 record with an ERA of 3.44 with 179 strikeouts in parts of three seasons with them. Fans north of the border would love to see García back in the Blue Jays bullpen. The 34-year-old also sported a 0.897 WHIP in the 2024 season. García was highly respected for coming in high-leverage situations as a reliever. A reunion with García would certainly help the Blue Jays’ bullpen needs.
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