New Met Dellin Betances expected to be ready for Spring Training

A not-so-familiar buzz was hovering over Citi Field as Dellin Betances was introduced as the newest member of the Mets. A plethora of office personnel, media and the reliever’s entire family graced the main conference room to celebrate something Mets fans didn’t think was possible.

General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen handed Betances over an orange and blue uniform, far different than the pinstripes he used to wear in the Bronx. This came after the Mets signed Betances to a one-year, $10.5 million deal on Christmas Eve. The deal includes a player option for 2021 and a vesting option for 2022. Brodie started the press conference by stating that Dellin is an imposing figure, one that has the size, strength and swagger that the Mets wanted.

“This signing blows the cover off of our ceiling,” Brodie stated about a bullpen he thinks can be one of the best baseball has to offer. “We’re not gonna stop working, but I feel very good about our team.”

The signing of Betances started in about November and it took four days for the team of Brodie, Carlos Beltran and Jeremy Hefner to get a package together for him. One of the issues surrounding Betances was the fact that he was coming off of an injury-filled 2019. Betances was diagnosed with an impingement in his pitching shoulder during Spring Training. In June he sprained his right lat dorsi muscle, not participating in any baseball activity until September.

The expectation, according to Brodie, is that Betances “should be ready to go by Spring Training.” The man himself believes that as well, crediting the Hospital for Special Surgery for helping in the healing process.

“Well, under this offseason, the Hospital for Special Surgery (in New York), I’ve been under their watch this whole time and Dr. David Altchek, which is a doctor for the Mets… I’ve been under their surveillance, so I kind of feel like this timing is perfect,” Betances went on to say. “They’ve helped me out tremendously. Also, Dr. (Martin J.) O’Malley is a guy that told me that I didn’t need the surgery at the time. And I feel good at this point. Pretty much, I’ll be ready to go in Spring Training. And that’s the important part.”

Betances ends a year that required him to work on himself while also taking care of his newborn son. Dabbling as a setup man and a closer, Betances is all for whatever the Mets have in store for him. All he cares about is winning and proving he is an elite reliever, one step at a time.