Former Blue Jays Brandon Lyon Signs With Mets

August 11, 2012; Toronto, ON, CANADA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Brandon Lyon (31) throws against the New York Yankees at the Rogers Centre. New York defeated Toronto 5-2. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY SportsFor much of the winter, reliever Brandon Lyon floated out there on the free agent market, searching for a home. The Blue Jays kept tabs on the right-hander, who they acquired on July 20th in a huge 10-player deal with the Houston Astros that also brought J.A. Happ to Toronto, and considered him an option should they still want to add to the bullpen before the season started.

Unfortunately, that option is no longer there.

On Friday, the New York Mets officially announced the signing of the 33-year-old reliever. The one-year deal is worth an estimated $750-900K with performance bonuses that could push the contract to a total value of $2.4 million. The deal gives the Mets an additional reliever with closing experience as a fallback option should Frank Francisco struggle again in 2013.

In a year split between Houston and Toronto, Lyon posted a 4-2 record with 3.10 ERA and a 9.3 K/9 ratio, the highest rate of his career. After his acquisition by Toronto, he was a bright spot in the Blue Jays bullpen, going 4-0 with a 2.88 ERA over 30 appearances, a sharp upgrade over Francisco Cordero, whom went to Houston in the trade.

It was Lyon’s second tour of duty with Toronto. He was a 14th round selection of the Blue Jays in the 1999 amateur draft and pitched his first two seasons in the Major Leagues with Toronto in 2001 and 2002. He was waived by the team in 2002 and eventually claimed by the Boston Red Sox.

The Mets will be Lyon’s seventh organization.