Red Sox sign former New York Mets closer Jenrry Mejia to minor league deal

When Dave Dombrowski said the Red Sox weren't going to have a ''big expenditure'' for the closer's role, he wasn't kidding.

The Sox reached an agreement with Jenrry Mejia Tuesday on a minor-league deal that would pay Mejia $625,000 if he reaches the major leagues.

Mejia, 29, last pitched in the big leagues in the summer of 2015, when he was suspended for a third PED violation.

Mejia served as the New York Mets closer in 2014, and was suspended for 80 games in April of 2015 after testing positive for Stanozolol, a steroid popular with body builders. Mejia maintained his innocence and said at the time: "I can honestly say I have no idea how a banned substance got in my system.''

He returned from that suspension in July, but after appearing in just seven games, tested positive again -- again, Stanozolol was found in his system along with traces of Boldenone, another anabolic steroid.

The third suspension, which came the following February, earned Mejia a permanent ban by baseball. Under the joint drug agreement between MLB and the Players Association, Mejia was allowed to apply for reinstatement after a two-year ban, and that conditional reinstatement was granted by commissioner Rob Manfred last July.

He appeared in two games in the minors last summer before the team released him in November.

In 113 appearances in his career -- 95 of which came in relief -- Mejia has a 3.68 ERA and a career WHIP of 1.484. He's averaged 8.0 strikeouts per nine innings in his career and has compiled 28 saves.

BSJ ANALYSIS

The Sox are, for now, officially without a closer, with Craig Kimbrel, who filled that role in each of last three seasons, still unsigned on the free agent market.

Kimbrel had been aiming for a four- or five-year deal in the neighborhood of those signed by Aroldis Chapman (five years, $86 million), Kenley Jansen (five years, $80 million) and Wade Davis (three years, $52 million).

But, mindful of their payroll as they inch closer to the top luxury tax threshold of $246 million, the Sox haven't added any free agent relievers over the winter, having also lost set-up man Joe Kelly to the Los Angeles Dodgers on a three-year deal and Dombrowski has all but guaranteed that the Sox would not be spending much to replace Kimbrel.

Indeed, a number of other late-inning relievers -- including Andrew Miller, Zach Britton, Jeurys Familia, Adam Ottavino and David Robertson -- have signed elsewhere, with little interest exhibited on the part of the Sox.

Boston has said since the end of the World Series that they would be comfortable having either Matt Barnes or Ryan Brasier serving as their closer, and increasingly, that looks like the plan.

Mejia could serve as insurance in the closer's spot, but it's unlikely the Sox would entrust the ninth inning to him at the start of the season since he hasn't pitched in big leagues for three and a half years.

If he earns the organization's trust and pitches well in the minors to start the year, he could be an option as the season develops. It's hard to consider him someone on whom the Red Sox could count on -- given his troubled history and inactivity of late.

For now, it's wise to look at him as inexpensive Plan B on the part of the Red Sox.