Mets Talking Minor-League Deal With Lefty Reliever C.J. Nitkowski
NEW YORK (WFAN) -- It seems veteran reliever C.J. Nitkowski has passed his tryout.
According to CBSSports.com and WFAN's Jon Heyman, the Mets are in talks with the lefty and could sign him to a minor-league deal.
An agreement "seems likely," Newsday's Ken Davidoff reported Sunday.
The Mets have a sudden need for bullpen help. Left-handed specialist Tim Byrdak will undergo surgery Tuesday to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.
Nitkowski, who showed off his new sidearm delivery for the team last Thursday, could fill the gap.
After his workout, the Suffern native admitted the Amazin's were his "first choice."
"They liked what they saw," he said, according to the team's official website. "They seemed pleased. It's nice to come back into this atmosphere and to get feedback from people who know what they're talking about."
Nitkowski hasn't pitched in the majors since 2005. Picked No. 9 overall out of St. John's in the 1994 MLB draft, he spent the past five years pitching in Korea and Japan.
It wouldn't be his first time in a Mets uniform. The 39-year-old, who has a 5.37 ERA over 10 major league seasons, appeared in five games for New York in 2001.
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