Player Data: Age: 26 (03/19/1998), B/T: R/R
Primary Stats: 30 G (7 GS), 74 IP, 2.55 ERA, 1.068 WHIP, 7-3, 79 SO, 38 BB
Advanced Stats: 155 ERA+, 26.9 SO%, 12.9 BB%, 3.51 xERA, 3.83 FIP, 4.20 xFIP, 1.0 fWAR
2024 Salary: $740,000
José Buttó entered the 2024 season with an uncertain role. He performed well in nine games (seven starts) in 2023, earning a 3.64 ERA, but it wasn’t enough to ensure him a spot on the Major League roster in 2024. Especially considering the arrival of David Stearns to decide on all personnel moves.
Sure enough, Buttó started the 2024 season in Triple-A, but he made just one start before earning a call to the big league squad. He performed well in his first two starts of the year, allowing just one run and striking out 15 in 12 combined innings against the Tigers and Royals, earning a quality start in each game.
He remained in the rotation for only a month before he was sent down to Triple-A again. Following his first two phenomenal starts of the year, Buttó struggled and had a 4.15 ERA with 17 walks in 23 innings in his five subsequent starts before being demoted.
The 26-year-old remained in Syracuse for almost two months before again being called up to the Mets in early July as a reliever this time. This is where Buttó found his niche, not necessarily as a long reliever but as someone who could be counted on to pitch more than one inning if needed. He did so in 16 of his 23 relief appearances.
Buttó thrived in this role, earning a 2.00 ERA in 36 innings across 23 games. He held opponents to a .162 batting average and a .527 OPS with a WHIP barely above 1.000.
His contribution to the bullpen was massive. The Mets were shorthanded in the bullpen most of the year, dealing with players constantly being shipped in and out, injuries, and even an Edwin Díaz suspension. Buttó offered stability and the ability to take on multiple roles: he could be called upon to pitch three innings in one game and then called upon another time as a key set-up man. He really did it all for a bullpen that desperately needed him.
Unfortunately, Buttó was not as effective during the Mets’ postseason run, knocking down his grade just a tad. He pitched in six postseason games, delivering his best performance in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series when he tossed two perfect innings in the seventh and eighth against Milwaukee. After that, though, he allowed five earned runs in five innings across his final five postseason games, pitching less than an inning in three out of the five games. He also allowed at least one run in three of the five games, including two runs in two of the five.
That shouldn’t overshadow what Buttó accomplished in the regular season, though. After spending a few years looking like a fringe prospect, he proved to be a key MLB player, helping the Mets on their way to the NLCS. That’s worth a lot, even if he couldn’t continue that into October.
José Buttó will almost certainly be in the Mets’ bullpen in 2025, barring a trade. Despite his underwhelming postseason performance, he did enough throughout the regular season to show he is a valuable bullpen piece, something David Stearns and the Mets know they need as many of as possible.
Buttó is still in the pre-arbitration stages of his career, so the Mets will not have to worry about price when it comes to him. Considering what he’s expected to make, he’ll be a bargain for the Mets unless he severely regresses. Buttó’s 2024 xERA, FIP, and xFIP suggest a regression might happen, but not to the extent that he’s a liability. He’ll again be a reliable, versatile piece for the Mets in 2025.
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