The Mets have signed 31-year old righty reliever David Aardsma to a minor league deal.  He pitched in 10 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball earlier this year for the Marlins and he was 1-0 with 2 saves, a 2.57 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP.  He has pitched in 255 games (0 starts) in his first seven years in the majors and he is 13-15 with 69 saves, a 4.22 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP.  The Mets will likely call up Aardsma soon if he gets off to a good start in AAA-ball for them.

The Mets have signed 30-year old righty reliever/starter Matt Fox to a minor league deal.  Fox pitched in 5 games (4 starts) in Independent ball this year and he was 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP.  Fox’ only major league experience came back in 2010 with the Twins and Red Sox.  Fox pitched in 4 games (1 start) in 2010 with the Twins and Red Sox and he was 0-0 with a 4.91 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP.  If Fox looks good in the minors, the Mets will probably give him another shot at the show later on in 2013.

The Mets have signed 33-year old lefty swinging outfielder Rick Ankiel to a 1-year deal.  Ankiel played in 25 games earlier this year for the Astros and he was 12 for 62 (.194 avg, .715 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 5 homers and 11 RBIs.  Ankiel walked only 3 times while whiffing 35 times for the Astros, as he was swinging at everything.  Ankiel has now played in 633 games in his first 11 years in the majors and he is 450 of 1,855 (.243 avg, .728 OPS) with 253 runs scored, 74 homers, 244 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.  Ankiel will platoon in CF with Juan Lagares.  Lagares has played in 15 games for the Mets so far this year in his first taste of the majors and he is 5 for 33 (.152 avg, .382 OPS) without a run scored, a homer or an RBI.  Lagares has already whiffed 10 times so far this year compared with only 2 walks.

The Mets have signed 25-year old righty starting pitcher D.J. Mitchell to a minor league deal.  He pitched in 1 game (1 start) in AAA-ball for the Mariners this year and he was 0-0 with a 6.75 ERA and a 2.50 WHIP.  Mitchell has now pitched in 103 games (96 starts) in his first five years in the minors and he is 47-26 with a 3.53 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP.  Mitchell’s only major league experience came last year for the Yankees when he worked in 4 games (0 starts) in which he was 0-0 with a 3.86 ERA and a 2.14 WHIP.  Mitchell will start his time in AAA-ball for the Mets in 2013.

The New York Mets have designated 28-year old lefty starter/reliever Aaron Laffey for assignment.  Laffey pitched in 4 games (2 starts) for the Mets this year and he was 0-0 with a 7.20 ERA and a 2.10 WHIP.  He has given up 16 hits and 5 walks in 10 innings with the Mets while whiffing 9 batters, so he got hit pretty hard.  Laffey has now pitched in 152 games (67 starts) in his first seven years in the majors and he is 25-29 with 1 save, a 4.44 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP.  This is not much of a loss for the Mets.

UPDATE:  (4/23/2013) - The Mets have lost Aaron Laffey to the Blue Jays on waivers.

The Mets have signed 31-year old lefty reliever Sean Henn to a minor league deal.  He pitched in 15 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball for the Mariners last year and he was 3-0 with a 3.64 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP.  Henn last pitched in the majors in 2009 for the Orioles and Twins.  He has pitched in 60 games (5 starts) in his first five years in the majors and he is 2-9 with a 7.56 ERA and a 2.01 WHIP.  Henn will have to pitch really well in the minors before the Mets give him another shot at the show.

The Mets have released 26-year old righty reliever Brad Holt.  Holt pitched in 45 games (0 starts) in AA+AAA-ball for the Mets last year and he was 2-1 with 2 saves, a 4.08 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP.  He pitched in 137 games (70 starts) in his five years in the minors for the Mets and he was 25-33 with 2 saves, a 5.01 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP.  This is not much of a loss for the Mets moving forward.

The Mets have released 28-year old lefty reliever Daniel Herrera.  He pitched in 3 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball for the Mets last year and he was 0-0 with a 1.50 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP.  Herrera last pitched in the majors in 2011 with the Brewers and Mets.  He has pitched in 131 games (0 starts) in his first four years in the majors and he is 5-8 with a 3.72 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP.  This is no loss for the Mets as Herrera is still recovering from Tommy John surgery.

The Mets have released 33-year old righty reliever Scott Patterson.  Patterson pitched in 28 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball for the Mets and Mariners and he was 1-4 with 4 saves, a 3.94 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP.  Patterson’s only major league experience came back in 2008 with the Yankees and the Padres.  Patterson pitched in 4 games (0 starts) in the majors in 2008 in which he was 0-0 with a 1.93 ERA and a 1.71 WHIP.  This isn’t much of a loss for the Mets moving forward.

The Mets have dealt 25-year old righty reliever Elvin Ramirez to the Angels for cash considerations.  Ramirez pitched in 20 games (0 starts) for the Mets last year and he was 0-1 with a 5.48 ERA and a 2.06 WHIP.  He also pitched in 41 games (0 starts) in AA+AAA-ball last year and he was 3-2 with 2 saves, a 2.13 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP.  The Mets did this basically to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.