A.J. Minter has been tough on the Mets since his rookie season with the Atlanta Braves in 2017. The Mets will no longer have to face the lefty in the late innings of close games with the club signing the reliever to a two-year, $22 million contract, pending a physical, the Daily News confirmed. The Mets made a move for some much-needed relief help Friday with the free agent signing of Minter, a 31-year-old who has spent his entire career with the Braves. In 348 2/3 innings pitched, all with the team that drafted him in the second round in 2015 out of Texas A&M, Minter has posted a 3.28 career ERA (131 ERA+) with 36 saves. Minter has been a go-to arm for Atlanta in high-leverage innings over the last five seasons, but a hip injury ended his 2024 campaign in August. Last season, Minter was effective until undergoing labrum surgery, but the underlying numbers were concerning. His velocity decreased from 95-96 to 93-94 and he was unable to miss bats at the same rate as well, striking out a career-low 9.2 hitters per nine innings. He also struggled to suppress home runs, giving up six in only 34 1/3 innings for a career-worst mark of 1.6 per nine innings. The hip was likely the culprit. Minter tried to delay surgery before free agency, but after pitching through what he called “excruciating pain” he underwent an extensive procedure in Nashville to repair a labral tear and a hip impingement, and remove a lesion on the femur. It’s unclear whether or not Minter will start spring training healthy, but he told Atlanta reporters in September that expected to have a normal offseason. Should he return to old form, he’ll be able to opt out of his contract after 2025 and try free agency again. Mets starter David Peterson had a similar procedure last fall and returned to have a career year. The left-hander had a breakout season pitching without pain, finishing with a sub-3.00 ERA and a career-best 1.289 WHIP. Minter throws a four-seam fastball with good rise, a cutter and a changeup. He joins a bullpen group headlined by closer Edwin Diaz and returning high-leverage right-handers Reed Garrett and Dedniel Nuñez, both of whom seemingly came out of nowhere last season to become scouting success stories for the Mets. Right-handers José Buttó, Sean Reid-Foley, Huascar Brazobán and Dylan Covey, and left-hander Danny Young will also be in the bullpen mix. The Mets have also shown interest in closer Tanner Scott, the top reliever on the market, and while two left-handed high-leverage arms sounds enticing, it’s unlikely the Mets sign both. There was some interest in Scott at the trade deadline, but ultimately the Mets went for supplemental upgrades instead of going big. Those upgrades paid off during a summer stretch that saw the Mets get into the playoffs one day after the official end of the regular season, but the relief corps struggled to hold leads and keep games close late in the postseason. Minter is the second addition for the Mets this week, with the club bringing back DH/outfielder Jesse Winker on a one-year deal Thursday.