Former M's Reliever Signs with Mets, Ending Chance of Reunion

Just days after we speculated that Matt Festa could be a fit to return to the Mariners, he has signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets.

May 27, 2022; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Matt Festa (67) delivers a pitch. / Lindsey Wasson-USA TODAY Sports

Just days after we speculated that former Seattle Mariners' reliever Matt Festa could be a fit for the team on a reunion deal, he has reached a minor league pact with the New York Mets instead.

The following comes from the Rotowire fantasy baseball portal:

ANALYSIS
Festa was released by the Padres last week after posting a 4.50 ERA and 16:7 K:BB over 16 innings with Triple-A El Paso. He's landed on his feet quickly and will head to Triple-A Syracuse for now, where he will give the Mets some veteran relief depth.

We are certainly happy that Festa gets a chance to resume his career quickly, but he would have made for an interesting pick up for the M's. The team has bullpen questions with Matt Brash out for the season and Gregory Santos not seen as an option until July. Furthermore, Trent Thornton, Ryne Stanek and Gabe Speier have all shown some level of vulnerability this season.

With the Mariners, Festa spent parts of four years with the big club. He made his debut in 2018 and appeared in games in 2019, 2022 and 2023. He was also an integral part of the team's bullpen in the drought-busting 2022 campaign, when he appeared in 53 games. That season, he had a 4.17 ERA over 54.0 innings.

The Mariners enter play on Monday at 25-22 and in first place in the American League West. They will open up a very difficult four-game series against the New York Yankees in New York on Monday.

First pitch is 4:05 p.m. PT.