Right-hander is going to decline his player option and return to free agency, reports . The righty could have stayed with the Mets via a $6.75MM player option but will head to the open market instead. Ottavino, who turns 38 this month, signed a two-year, $14.5MM deal with the Mets coming into 2023, with an opt-out opportunity after the first season. He made 66 appearances for the club this season with a 3.21 earned run average. His 23.8% strikeout rate was around league average and his 11.1% walk rate was on the high side, but he found succe s by keeping the ball on the ground. 56.3% of balls he allowed in play were grounders, significantly above the league rate of 42.5% for the year. There may have been some good luck for Ottavino in there, as his .252 batting average on balls in play and 80.6% strand rate were both on the lucky side of average. His 4.52 FIP and 4.04 SIERA suggest he was fortunate to keep runs off the board the way that he did, but Ottavinos got a strong track record going back years. Tony Carr Jersey He has a 3.42 ERA in 664 appearances dating back to 2010. Todays move comes as a surprise because, as recently as August, Ottavino was open about his to stay with the Mets. I want to be here no matter what, the New York native said at that time. This is a good place for me. I love the organization. I love being able to play where Im from. Its unclear what made Ottavino change his mind, but it could be related to recent developments in the right-handed relief pitching market. and were going to be two of the top free agents this winter but they each re-signed with Atlanta before reaching the open market. could have been another intriguing option but the Blue Jays picked up a two-year option to keep him in Toronto. Even , who mi sed the entire 2023 season, had his option picked up by the Dodgers. Free agency will still feature talented righties like , , and others, but perhaps some of those names coming off the board early gave Ottavino and his reps a good feeling about returning to the open market and topping that $6.75MM figure. Beyond the market changes, it seems the language of his contract played a part. Ottavino tells that $4MM of his 2024 salary was to be deferred. He was willing to take a smaller amount to return but with fewer deferrals and was also open to a two-year deal, but the Mets werent interested in either. The Mets will now lose yet another arm from their bullpen. They traded away and prior to the deadline, though they will get back next year and picked up a club option on lefty . Even though they might take a bit of a step back this winter relative to last year, they will likely add to the relief mix in the coming months. Image courtesy of USA Today Sports. Ike Anigbogu Jersey