JANUARY 30: Loup’s deal, which the Mets have now made official, also includes $250K in potential incentives based on appearances, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). The Mets’ 40-man roster is now full.
JANUARY 28: Loup’s contract would guarantee him around $3MM once finalized, reports SNY’s Andy Martino (Twitter link).
JANUARY 27: The Mets and left-handed reliever Aaron Loup are in agreement on a deal, pending the completion of a physical, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports (via Twitter). It’s a one-year deal for Loup, Joel Sherman of the New York Post adds. MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reported earlier this afternoon that the Mets were “zeroing in” on Loup after missing out on Brad Hand, who signed with the division-rival Nationals. Loup is represented by the Beverly Hills Sports Council.
Loup, 33, gives the Mets an established left-handed bullpen option that the roster previous lacked. Waiver claim Stephen Tarpley and former 40th-round pick Daniel Zamora were the only two southpaws on the Mets’ 40-man roster prior to their forthcoming agreement with Loup. Veteran southpaw Jerry Blevins will be in Spring Training as a non-roster invitee as well, though he didn’t pitch at all last season.
Outside of a forearm strain that wiped out a good chunk of his 2019 season in San Diego, Loup has been a largely durable and reasonably effective bullpen piece since breaking into the Majors with the Blue Jays back in 2012. He’s had some ups and downs along the way, but the end result is a 3.38 ERA and 3.24 SIERA with career strikeout and walk rates of 21.9 percent and 7.0 percent. Loup has upped his strikeout numbers over the past few years, however, and in 2020 with the Rays delivered one of his best stretches: a 2.52 ERA and 3.62 SIERA with a 22.9 percent punchout rate and a 4.2 percent walk rate that ranked among the game’s lowest. He also tossed 5 1/3 innings in the playoffs, allowing just two runs with seven strikeouts against two walks.
Loup has been better against lefties throughout his big league career but has held his own against righties and was quite good against them in 2020’s shortened slate of games. He’s held opposing lefties to a career .232/.301/.319 batting line while righties have managed a .264/.333/.428 output.
Loup will join right-hander Trevor May as a new member of the Mets’ setup core, effectively replacing fellow free-agent lefty Justin Wilson in the process. The Mets could perhaps still use another lefty, but with a relief corps featuring May, Loup, Edwin Diaz, Seth Lugo, Dellin Betances, Jeurys Familia, Miguel Castro and Brad Brach, they’re certainly not light on talent. Some of those veterans — Betances and Familia in particular — are in search of rebound efforts, but everyone in that veteran group has enjoyed a good bit of big league success.
Nice
Would you really have said anything different?
Their comments are not much different from yours. Always predictable…
Once again Mr. Marlins fan here to slurp Mets fans. Would you have said anything different?
I know. Jealousy?
@Marlinfanbase Hey marlin boy when is the next fire sale?
IDK…when is the next Mets championship?
All these tough questions.
How come you can’t be bothered to comment on actual fish stories?
Meh signing but Soto gonna make him look bad. Also I wanna see how dumb you are lol. Soto or Conforto
If your grammar is any indication I would say MetsFan22 isn’t the dumb one.
Soto. But he is the only hitter on the Nats better than conforto.
Trea Turner >> Conforto.
At least his free agency didn’t carry on in an endless loup
@PoloGrounds62. You just might be missing a comma somewhere in that sentence, bud. >=}
Db comment, so right back to ya
He pitched great last season for the Rays. I’m glad that he signed with the Mets.
Keep it coming.
dang
Loup can pitch with one eye closed.
Is that cause he’s bad
It’s because he uses a loupe.
Gold.
Not too shabby, Loup is pretty decent
He certainly wasn’t when he was with the Jays
Correct. Loup was better than decent in his first three seasons with the team.
I’m sorry about the last post lmao, it was a joke, but I could see why it was removed. I still wanted to post what I said earlier though:
“I guess Loup would be the new Justin Wilson. I liked Wilson, and I still kind of hope they bring him back along with Loup because even though they are both lefties, those are two completely different arm angles.”
Your wholesomeness is disgusting. Go kick a puppy or something. =)
Just not my puppy.
Tell ya…got really high hopes for this one.
Anyway.
Has there been a report on the $$? Hoping to see the Yanks get in on the LHRP market. It’s a good one, man.
Solid lefty who is not without flaws, but surprised they’re moving away from Wilson. Phils should go after Wilson.
angels, angels, angels??????
Guess were nit getting bower
Travis Bower
Bowser is a king, and you shall address him as such.
Soupy Loupy! Loup was ok with the Jays until he wasn’t! Then it was cringe every pitch he threw.
Raise your boys to be left handed…seems if you can throw someone will always sign you.
True. Jesse Orozco was pitching until he was 75.
Wow didn’t catch this one. Was out of the Loup.
Yeah, it threw me for a Loup when I saw it, too.
You guys are Loupy as hell.
I guess anyone would run through Loups if they fail at getting a Hand.
Now sign Sean Doolittle.
No when do the Mets trade for Bryant?
You mean just like when they acquired Starling Marte from the Pirates and when they signed George Springer?
Yep. While the Super Marlins were out signing no one of value or making any trades that mattered, The Mets obtained McCann, Trevor May, and Loup via free agency while also trading for Lindor and Carrasco. I’m so sad they missed out on Marte and didn’t go above $150 Million for a 31 year old Springer. What a zinger!
exactly.
Threw me for a loop why he was never effective with the Jays but did well in Tampa
You didn’t watch him when you were still in diapers. Back then he was effective.
Presumably, that’s intended either as an insult or just a really insensitive comment.
Neither actually. But Loup’s first 3 seasons he was very good in Toronto.
If we do the math, Loup’s rookie season was when 6yearoldbaseballfanatic was posting insightful commentary on the Toronto ball club. Right around the same point in life when I was celebrating the AL batting champion, specifically his first time winning the batting average for the Junior Circuit.
Had his moments with the Jays, but when he legally changed his middle name to Oompa and got that Tampa tan popping, he seemed to blossom.
As an old Met fan and present Rays fan since 05. Arron Loup is an excellent pick up! With the Rays he came through all year and in the playoffs. Sad to see the Rays didn’t sign him for this year.
Wait…you changed team allegiances? That’s hard to do. Personally, I said I was going to do that myself during a particularly dark time before the Cubs improved. But I found it’s in your heart and soul. As much as I hoped to, it just didn’t happen – I was just fooling myself.
Loup is a nice signing. You don’t built a team around a player like him, but he is a good lefty piece. The Mets’ bullpen should finally be solid. The past few years have been tough wondering if someone was going to blow a late lead. Now they actually may have a surplus in the pen. I wonder if another deal is in the works, trading a reliever for an offensive player.
D’accod, @psychotic goldfish –
Good signing.
Nothing wrong with marginal & incremental upgrades, man.
Ever since the list of MLB free agents came out, I’ve been asserting that every contender – real or imagined – should land 2-3 relievers.
You don’t build a team around him but you could build a team inside him.
All I remember from Loup is him getting beaten up in the postseason
I need more info….What’s this guys WHIP?
A pro jock.
This signing is a good one the Mets. They needed a lefty and he is not too expensive. I still would like to see them sign one more lefty for the pen. Better to have 2 rather than one when you are still playing in a Covid Nation. Like to see the Mets get a 5th starter not named Trevor Bauer (overpriced) and someone to man centerfield. I would be fine with Bradley Jr. if the contract is in the ballpark of 2 years 15 million total. He is not worth more than 8 million a year.
I liked Loup when he was making minimum wage with the Rays…but 3M? Nah, time has shown that with relievers, except the VERY elite, you buy low and roll ’em down the stairs after they do well.
Are teams going to get to keep 28 active all year long with the pandemic still raging? If so, they’ll probably have a nine-man bullpen. Unless something else occurred beyond by knowledge, that ninth man will probably be Robert Gsellman as the long man since he was tendered. However, he could be traded or DFA’d. I think they’re done with the bullpen. JBJ and, possibly, Bauer (not Jack from 24) should be next.
Cohen should go to jail
No he shouldn’t
People with that much money rarely go to jail for their crimes.
That will throw their bullpen for a loup
Mlb thrown for a loup with the signing
Thought they’d sign Loup for less salary. Probably still cheaper than what it would cost to resign Justin Wilson.
They should still offer Justin Wilson a minor league contract with invite
Wilson will likely get a major league contract from someone.
He’s guaranteed to get a MLB contract. His asking price is higher than Loup’s. He may be forced to lower his demands with camps getting close to opening, although his price may go up as more relievers sign and options come off the board.
Mets should have tried harder for Hand
The Mets seem a lot less sexy after the GameStop dust up.
Old times – Madoff and Beltran
Now – Gamestop, ex-GM texting
mmmmmm….what’s next?
Cohen got caught before….
Could Uncle Steve really be just a usurious conniving crook?
Maybe Arod and J Lo shouldn’t have been mocked that much.
Can you imagine if George Steinbrenner had Twitter in his time. Or Peter O’Malley. That would have been the best entertainment ever !
I’d probably be less of a baseball fan if George had twitter. The plaque in Monument Park us offensive enough