The New York Mets recently let journeyman left-handed pitcher Danny Young go, and the 31-year-old wasted no time in finding a new destination with a chance to haunt his most recent team.New York non-tendered Young on Nov. 21, six months after he underwent Tommy John surgery in May. He was not yet arbitration-eligible, so the move was mostly about 40-man roster flexibility for a Mets team that needs left-handed bullpen help right away. Young’s timeline for a return to play still isn’t certain, but it likely wasn’t going to line up with opening day in March.
In theory, the Mets might have been open to a reunion with Young on a minor-league deal, but instead, he was snapped up on Tuesday by a division rival with whom he’s already quite familiar.
The Atlanta Braves announced on social media that they signed Young to a one-year, split contract for the upcoming season. According to a report from Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors, Young will be paid a prorated $925,000 for any time he spends on the major league roster.
Young pitched for the Braves briefly in 2022 and 2023 and allowed just one earned run in 11 innings. The Mets signed him to a minor-league contract last January, and he wound up posting a 4.50 ERA in his two partial seasons in New York, tossing 46 innings across 52 appearances and striking out an impressive 61 batters.
The Mets and Braves currently share a lot of similarities in that pitching was a major reason for both teams’ disappointing seasons, and both are hoping to get back in the playoff picture in a loaded National League. It’s interesting, then, that a pitcher turned out to be one team’s trash and the other’s treasure.
Atlanta has been New York’s No. 1 tormentor over the last decade as well, so it would be just the Mets’ luck to someday be shut down by Young in a key spot with postseason implications on the line.
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