The New York Mets are apparently stockpiling members of the Acuña clan like Pokémon.
Mike Mayer of Metsmerized reported Wednesday that the Mets have signed right-handed relief pitcher Joseph Yabbour to a minor-league deal. Yabbour is the cousin of Atlanta Braves superstar Ronald Acuña Jr.
Yabbour, 20, now becomes the second member of the extended Acuña family to join the Mets organization. 21-year-old Luisangel Acuña, Ronald’s younger brother, is a top infield prospect for the Mets (with some impressive highlights too) who spent the balance of last year at Double-A Binghamton.
Having posted a 2-0 record with a 3.60 ERA and 12.6 strikeouts per nine innings in the 2023 Dominican Summer League with the Seattle Mariners organization, Yabbour is a talented player in his own right. But if the Mets see this as a kind of Hail Mary attempt to recruit the newly-minted NL MVP Ronald when he can become a free agent in 2029, they still have work to do. Ronald has another younger brother with a different MLB organization that the Mets may have to try to land next.
