Mike Vasil

Vasil became the first rookie pitcher since Chris Devenski in 2016 to pitch in at least 45 games while pitching at least 100 innings and post an ERA at or below 2.50. The Rule 5 pitch of the Rays was dealt to the White Sox and the hard throwing sinkerballer got plenty of work in from the Chicago bullpen winning five games and saving four others while holding the league to a .204 average. Before you get all excited about his potential as a closer, understand that came along with a paltry 7.1% K-BB and a favorable .242 BABIP and 83% LOB%. Simply put, a lot went right for Vasil in 2025 and counting on that level of fortune in consecutive seasons is incredibly risky. Vasil throws six different pitch types, which helped him avoid the drumming so many Rule 5 pitchers take, and the organization could consider moving him back to the rotation as he was a starter throughout his time with the Mets before they left him exposed to the draft. The bigger risk is we rarely see relievers work consecutive seasons with this workload. In fact, just six active relievers have done so with the last being Tyler Holton with Detroit in 2023 and 2024. Read Past Outlooks