Ryota Igarashi signs with Mets

The New York Mets and Japanese reliever Ryota Igarashi agreed to a 2 year deal today, according to multiple sources, including MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger:

The Mets have reached an agreement with Japanese reliever Ryota Igarashi, according to the New York Post.

Reported to be nearing a two-year deal with the Mets, Igarashi would help shore up the team’s bullpen as a capable setup man for closer Francisco Rodriguez, replacing Billy Wagner and J.J. Putz, who both left the team as free agents this offseason.

So who exactly is Ryota Igarashi? Let’s start out with the obvious stuff. He’s 30 years old, and has been one of the better relievers in Japanese baseball over the past decade. By virtue of being right handed, and throwing really hard, he’s going to be thought of as a possible closing candidate if the need arises. And he does throw hard, hitting the mid-90s at times. In 2004, Igarashi set a Japanese league record with an average fastball velocity of 96.6 MPH throughout the season. Although he had Tommy John surgery in late 2006, he has come back strong and regained most of his velocity.

Igarashi’s stats look pretty impressive. Career wise, he has a K rate of 9.83, and a K/BB rate of 2.71. He has given up under .4 HR/9, and his FIP is 2.73, with an ERA of 3.09. When he came back from injury in ’08, he looked very impressive, with a 42 Ks to 6 walks in 43 2/3 innings (K/BB rate of 7) and a FIP of 2.28. He was unable to maintain those control gains in 2009 though, and his K rate fell a bit as well, as he slipped to a 3.48 FIP, and 7.04 K rate, with a K/BB rate just over 2.

If Iagarashi can bounce back a bit from a disappointing 2009 season, he obviously has the talent and profile to be at least a setup guy, and given K-rods shaky performance and injury potential, he’d be a great pickup in NL only leagues. You have to worry a bit about the many miles on his arm catching up to him given the K rate drop, but certainly worth a late pickup.