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The New York Mets have added one final piece to their bullpen picture, agreeing to a contract with veteran right-hander Brandon Lyon, per Jon Heyman of CBS Sports:
#mets are in agreement on deal with brandon lyon, pending physical
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) February 7, 2013
Word first surfaced that the Mets were closing in on a deal with the 33-year-old right-hander earlier this week. The deal is believed to be for one year, per Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, and Lyon will make between $750-$900k in guaranteed money, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
The right-hander can earn up to $2.4 million if he reaches all his performance-incentive benchmarks.
Completion of the deal is still pending a physical, which -- as we've seen lately -- isn't always a sure thing.
Lyon missed considerable time with a shoulder injury in 2011, but had a DL-free season last year so should run into no Napoli-esque problems during his exam.
Lyon is the third bullpen arm the Mets have brought into the organization in the last two weeks, joining fellow right-handed veterans LaTroy Hawkins and Scott Atchison (both of whom are on minor-league deals).
Lyon started the 2012 season in the Astros' bullpen -- where he pitched very well -- then was sent to the Toronto Blue Jays in the 10-player deadline deal that signaled the beginning of Houston's ongoing salary purge. Between the two clubs, Lyon amassed a solid 3.10 ERA and 3.11 K/BB ratio -- aided by a career-best 10.1 K/9 rate -- in 61 innings of relief work.
Related: Mets sign LaTroy Hawkins
With the exception of his 2011 season, which was besot by shoulder woes, Lyon has been an incredibly reliable reliever since leaving the hitter-friendly confines of Chase Field at the end of 2008. Over the last four seasons, Lyons owns a 3.50 ERA and 2.07 K/BB ratio in 231 innings.
Lyon made $5.5 million last year and $5.25 million the year prior, so he's likely in line for a contract that will pay him between $6-8 million for the 2013 season.
