Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

While the lockout news from early this week was not an ending but a continuation, the Mets continue to add arms at the minor league level. The Mets have signed right-handers Felix Pena and R.J. Alvarez to minor league deals. The Alvarez signing was first reported by Jacob Resnick of SNY.

Peña, 32, has 260 2/3 career innings at the games highest level, and has pitched in the majors every year from 2016-2021. Albeit more than brief in 2021, Peña appeared twice for the Angels and struggled mightily with four walks and seven earned runs. His Triple-A numbers in 2021 have far more to digest, but don’t do much to generate excitement. In 21 innings as a starter, Peña amassed a 13.29 ERA with a 2.38 WHIP. As a reliever, Peña faired better over 47.1 innings to the tune of a 5.70 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP.

Peña was a Minor League All-Star each year from 2013-2015 while he worked mostly as a starter, and has a career 4.66 ERA (4.22 FIP) in the big leagues. His best season in the big leagues came in 2018 when he had a 1.4 fWAR and 4.18 ERA over 92 innings (17 starts) for the Angels.

Statcast shows that Pena has a four pitch arsenal spread pretty evenly across a slider, sinker, changeup, and fastball. Not surprisingly, as is common with sinker ball pitchers, Peña’s heat maps show a high propensity for low pitch locations to keep the offense at bay. Besides a relatively high leg kick, Peña’s delivery doesn’t have much to it, seemingly making it consistently smooth. This 2019 appearance with the Angels gives 47-seconds worth of reasons for interest in what Pena may do in 2022 and a good view into both deliveries.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1126609862274760704

Peña isn’t the only arm added with Minor League All-Star history, R.J. Alvarez was a 2018 All-Star for Triple-A Round Rock. The former 2012 third round pick out of Florida Atlantic has some Major League experience but far less and not as recent as Peña’s.

Alvarez,30, pitched 28 innings in 2014 and 2015 with San Diego and Oakland. Alvarez relies on three pitches, a mid-90’s fastball, slider, and the occasional changeup.  Alvarez delivery doesn’t have much to it at all, but the fastball has a little late run away from lefties and in towards righties. Maybe that late movement is part of the reason Alvarez held righties to a .187  BA last-year while lefties feasted to the tune of .317 BA.

The #Mets signed right-handed reliever R.J. Alvarez to a minor league contract.

Alvarez briefly pitched for the Padres and A's from 2014-15 and has spent time in the Cubs, Rangers, Marlins, Red Sox, and Brewers systems since. pic.twitter.com/ehZuvRgvjO

— Jacob Resnick (@Jacob_Resnick) March 1, 2022

Both additions should be on display when the Minor League season starts, whether it be for the Double-a Binghamton Rumble Ponies on April 8th or the Triple-A Syracuse Mets on April 5th.