How reliever Brooks Raley decided to make the Mets his long-term home
Mets relief pitcher Brooks Raley delivers a pitch against the Washington Nationals during a game at Citi Field on Sept. 21, 2025. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Brooks Raley never thought New York would be his long-term home.
He spent five years of his prime playing for the Lotte Giants in South Korea (2015-19), and he had accepted the fact that if his baseball career ended there, he’d be OK with it.
But Raley bet on himself, declining a sixth year in the KBO to play his cards at an MLB return in 2020. It paid off, as he pitched for Cincinnati and then Houston during the COVID-shortened season. He figured he would stick around with the Astros, who picked up his option for the 2021 season, or maybe Tampa Bay, which signed him to a two-year, $10 million deal in November 2021.
But Raley’s plans changed when the Mets traded for him in December 2022. The bumpy road didn’t end in Flushing, though, as an elbow injury resulted in Tommy John surgery in May 2024. But the Mets liked what they saw, signing him to a one-year contract last April with a team option for 2026. He rebounded from the injury well, perhaps as an even better pitcher.
And come the start of the season on Thursday, when the Mets host the Pirates, Raley will be the Mets’ longest-tenured pitcher in their Opening Day bullpen.
“Obviously, I'm comfortable here,” the 37-year-old lefthander told Newsday. “Everybody knows that. I think it's cool to be with an organization like this and play as long as I have here.
“And honestly, I never thought that this would be the place that I stuck the longest.”
The Cubs selected Raley in the sixth round of the 2009 MLB Draft. He debuted in August 2012 and made five starts, but spent most of 2013 with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs and pitched only 14 big-league innings that season. He was waived and spent 2014 with Triple-A affiliates of both the Twins and Angels.
In December 2014, Lotte came calling.
“It was the unknown,” Raley said. “Just adjusting to the culture and expectations. That was the first time in my career, especially in professional baseball, like, ‘Here's the ball, 110 pitches, whether you throw them all in the first inning or the first two innings, it doesn't matter to us, but you got to go do your job.’ That was the first time in my professional career that I kind of took ownership of myself, my skill set and kind of trying to develop in a big way.
“I was kind of labeled as a [Quadruple-A] player, and I really wanted to overcome that, so that whole place and opportunity and platform really got me there.”
Raley had 43 days of service time when he left for the KBO. Now, he has six years .
“I know the Good Lord works in mysterious ways,” he said. “I feel like the career really took off when I was at peace with the player I was.”
Ten years of service time, a milestone that fewer than 10% of MLB players have reached, “absolutely” is realistic now. He looks at pitchers like Rich Hill, who pitched at 45 for the Royals last season, and David Robertson, who pitched at 40 for Philadelphia in 2025, as prime examples.
“I'm going to try to be the anomaly,” Raley said. “I'm taking pretty good care of my body. I’ve never been a velo guy, so I feel like I can overcome a lot of the trends of guys at the end of their career or back end of their career. ‘Oh, this guy's not what he once was.’ I feel like I can be that same guy, if not maybe a little bit better, and I think I proved that last year.
“That was kind of my whole goal coming out of [Tommy John], that I'll show you.”
After making his 2025 debut on July 19, Raley went 3-1 with 10 holds, a 2.45 ERA and a 0.78 WHIP in 25 2/3 innings (30 games). His most-used pitch was his sweeper, which averaged 81.3 mph, then his sinker, his highest-velocity pitch at a 90.7-mph average.
“He’s in a really good spot,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Last year we saw it. Huge part of that bullpen. His presence, his leadership, and the way he goes about his business. You feel really good about your chances every time he takes the baseball in any situation, whether it's righties or lefties.
“His voice carries a lot of weight here.”
This season, Raley’s main goal is to play on a winning team. He said last year was an “absolute grind, both mentally and physically.” He is energized after what has been a “fun spring training” and excited about the new-look bullpen, though he noted: “Obviously, not having Edwin [Diaz] just makes things different.”
Personally? Staying healthy is first and foremost on his mind. He hopes to notch 20 to 30 holds (his career high is 25) and pitch in 60-plus games (his career high is 66) at the back end of the bullpen.
Opening Day will mark 4,120 days since Raley signed with Lotte, and 674 since it was announced he needed Tommy John surgery. Both experiences molded him for the long haul.
“I think as I've gotten older — not sure wiser, but older — you just kind of process things in time,” Raley said. “And I realized that I didn't feel like I was done.”
Ben Dickson is Newsday Sports' general assignment reporter. He joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
