Following reports that New York Mets owner Steve Cohen flew to Japan to meet with ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the team is indeed making another MLB free agency signing. It is not the one that has fans salivating, but it centers around a former All-Star pitcher.

New York is agreeing to a one-year, $2 million contract with reliever Jorge Lopez, per ESPN's Jeff Passan (first reported by Carlos Rosa). The right-hander has weathered his fair share of struggles in his eight-year MLB career, tallying a 5.51 ERA, but he was stellar in the first half of 2022.

Lopez appeared in 44 games for the Baltimore Orioles and recorded a dominant 1.68 ERA before being traded to the Minnesota Twins later that same year. His efforts earned him a spot in the Midsummer Classic. Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns is not expecting a repeat performance, but the native of Puerto Rico can hopefully provide valuable depth out of the bullpen.

New York's relievers posted a bottom-10 ERA in the MLB this past season, forcing the front office to address this obvious need. Fellow rightys Michael Tonkin and Austin Adams have also been brought in to be a part of the solution, but the Mets might be wise to still pursue a premium talent to fortify the back end of the pen.

The pitcher on top of the organization's list is a starter, however. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the ultimate prize for a team already believed to be out of the running for Shohei Ohtani. The 25-year-old can form a tantalizing one-two punch with fellow Japanese hurler Kodai Senga in 2024 and beyond.

Otherwise, all of these minor signings are not going to be enough to convince fans that Stearns fared well in his first MLB free agency outing in New York.