Manny Acosta

Acosta, who the Mets picked up on waivers from the Braves during spring training, spent much of the season with the parent club. He averaged more than a K per inning while posting a solid ERA, though some of that might have been due to a ridiculously low .271 BABIP. Acosta has a good chance to break camp with the Mets and would be used anywhere from the fifth to eighth inning.

Acosta got lost amid a deep Atlanta bullpen last season as he was used in mostly low leverage situations, but he actually improved from 2008. He struck out more batters (7.78 K/9IP) and allowed fewer home runs. With a mid-90s fastball, Acosta could provide value if he wins a more significant role in the bullpen.

Acosta took over the closer's role in April after Rafael Soriano and Pete Moylan were hurt, but struggled with a 5.96 ERA in June before losing the job. He then threw just six innings in the second half of the season due to hamstring and shoulder injuries. Acosta struck out nearly a batter per inning in 2007, but fell to just 5.3 K/9IP last season. While the strikeouts declined, his high walk rate remained. He could factor into the set-up mix with the Braves again this season, but his declining strikeout rate, high walks and age make him very risky.

Acosta got his first taste of the majors last season after posting a 2.87 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 59.2 innings at Triple-A Richmond. He's struck out nearly a batter per inning the last two seasons at Triple-A, but he lacks the control to thrive in the majors (just a 132:81 K:BB ratio the last two seasons). He'll also be 28 next season, so there's probably not a lot of upside. Still, he'll battle for a bullpen job this spring with the Braves.

Acosta became a minor league closer last season with 17 saves at Triple-A and struck out nearly a batter per inning, but he will need better control if he's going to be considered for the major league bullpen for the Braves. At age 26, He's not a top prospect, but could get a shot at some point.