2025 NRI Preview: Adbert Alzolay, RHP

The Mets considered the future when they signed Adbert Alzolay. The former Chicago Cubs closer had Tommy John surgery in August of 2024 and almost certainly will miss all of 2025. In early January, the Mets signed him to a two-year minor league deal. Alzolay gets to rehab with the Mets, and the team obtains an intriguing bullpen arm for the 2026 season.

Chicago signed Alzolay as an amateur free agent in 2012 and made his major league debut in 2019. The Cubs were still trying to use him as a starter as recently as 2021, where he pitched in 29 games, making 21 starts. That year he tossed 125 1/3 innings with a 4.58 ERA, 4.65 FIP, 1.162 WHIP and a 92 ERA+. He then missed most of 2022 with a shoulder and lat injury.

Alzolay had a breakout campaign in 2023. Over 64 innings and 58 games, he had a 2.67 ERA, 3.02 FIP, 1.016 WHIP and a 160 ERA+. The Cubs moved him to the back of the bullpen, and he seized the opportunity, saving 22 games. Alzolay’s Baseball Savant page was filled with red. His fastball, averaging at 95.3 mph, was in the 73rd percentile, and his 3.61xERA was in the 74th percentile. His 5.1% BB% was in the 92nd percentile. Hitters were barreling him only 6% of the time (81st percentile). Pitch tracking credited him for throwing six different pitches in 2023:

• Slider (avg 87.5 mph) 45.1%
• Four Seamer (avg 95.3 mph) 20.7%
• Sinker (avg 95.3 mph) 19.3%
• Cutter (avg 91.1 mph) 10%
• Sweeper (avg 82.6 mph) 4.4%
• Changeup (avg 87.8 mph) 0.5%

However, 2024 was a different story for the right-hander before injury. Over 17 1/3 innings, he allowed 13 runs, nine earned, on 19 hits and six walks. It’s a small sample size, but his WHIP ballooned in 2024. Compared to his career 1.157 WHIP, Alzolay pitched to a 1.442 WHIP in 2024. His FIP was also sky-high at 7.38 (career 4.30).

Rehab schedules from Tommy John surgery have become highly regimented over the last few years. Plenty of players have bounced back from the surgery well. That said, it’s always a mystery what a player looks like after the surgery. There’s a chance he can make a few appearances in September, but with an arm like Alzolay, the Mets might not want to rush his progress.

2026 will tell what the Mets do with his arsenal. The Mets have taken pitchers with large pitch arsenals over the year and highlighted their most successful pitches to remake their profile on the field. The team found success in a similar approach with Reed Garrett, who dominated hitters with his split finger in 2024.

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