FLUSHING, N.Y., January 22, 2016 - The New York Mets today announced the club has signed lefthanded pitcher Antonio Bastardo to a two-year contract. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Mets designated righthanded pitcher Carlos Torres for assignment.
Bastardo, 30, appeared in 66 games for Pittsburgh in 2015 and compiled a 4-1 record with a 2.98 ERA (19 earned runs/57.1 innings). He held lefthanded batters to a .138 (9-65) average, while holding righthanded batters to a .210 (30-143) average. Since 2011, his .187 (183-977) batting average against is second-best in the major leagues among lefthanded relievers, while his 343 strikeouts in that span are third-most in the majors for a lefthanded reliever.
The southpaw did not allow a home run over his final 33 games (29.0 innings) in 2015 and recorded a 2.14 ERA (eight earned runs/33.2 innings) in his final 38 appearances of the season. Bastardo also pitched 1.0 scoreless inning with two strikeouts in Pittsburgh's Wild Card loss to Chicago. His 66 regular season appearances in 2015 fell one shy of his career-best mark of 67, set in 2014 with Philadelphia. Since 2011, his 310 appearances are sixth-most in the NL for a lefthanded reliever.
The 5-11, 205-pounder is 24-19 with 12 saves and a 3.58 ERA (126 earned runs/316.1 innings) with 388 strikeouts in 341 major league games with the Phillies and Pirates over seven seasons.
He has held lefties to a .178 (76-427) career batting average.
Bastardo was originally signed by Philadelphia as a non-drafted free agent on August 27, 2009. Torres made 59 appearances for the Mets in 2015 and posted a 5-6 record with a 4.68 ERA (30 earned runs/57.2 innings).
Additionally, infielder Danny Muno has been invited to Major League Spring Training. Muno appeared in 17 games for the Mets in 2015.