Free Agent Profile: Shawn Armstrong, RP

Shawn Armstrong

Position: RP B/T: R/R
Age: 35 (09/11/1990)

2025 Traditional Stats: 71 G (2 GS), 74.0 IP, 2.31 ERA, 0.811 WHIP, 74 SO, 20 BB
2025 Advanced Stats: 159 ERA+, 26.1 K%, 7.0 BB%, 2.93 xERA, 3.07 FIP, 3.98 xFIP, 1.4 fWAR, 1.5 bWAR

Rundown

It was a resurgence for veteran right-handed reliever Shawn Armstrong in 2025. The 35-year-old posted the most valuable season of his career in his 11th major-league season. This, one year removed from appearing for three different teams in 2024 and pitching to a 4.86 ERA. His 2025 season was much more reflective of his 2023 season where he posted his second-most valuable season of his career.

In 2025, Armstrong had a 2.31 ERA and a career-high 74 innings pitched. He struck out 74 and only walked 20. Armstrong’s 2.93 xERA and 3.07 FIP further indicated that the sparkling 2.31 ERA was no mistake.

The veteran relied on both soft contact and strikeouts during his successful season. Armstrong’s average exit velocity against and hard-hit rates ranked in the league’s 80th and 91st percentiles, respectively. He also did a good job striking batters out (26.1% strikeout rate; 76th percentile) and did not walk many (7.0% walk rate; 68th percentile). In all, his xERA and xBA both ranked above the league’s 90th percentile.

As far as splits go, Armstrong befuddled right-handed hitters all season long. He allowed a .113/.185/.144 slash line against righties which culminated in a .329 OPS. This has been a trademark of his career thus far as right-handed hitters own a lifetime .640 OPS against Armstrong.

Armstrong’s arsenal consists of a four pitches he threw between 23.4% and 29.1% of the time last year. These were a four-seam fastball, cutter, sinker, and sweeper. The sweeper was one of the best in baseball, as the opposition hit a mere .080 against it. Both the four-seam fastball and sweeper had xBA and batting averages below the .185 mark last season while all four of his pitches owned a batting average below .188. The cutter, sweeper, and sinker all had run values of six or higher.

So, what changed from 2024? In 2024, as mentioned, Armstrong bounced around between three teams and had a 4.86 ERA and 5.11 xERA. The most notable in-depth difference between each season was that Armstrong only threw his sweeper 5.7% of the time in 2024. He made a point to develop that pitch for 2025 which enabled him to spread his arsenal out more and take pressure of his sinker and cutter which both were annihilated during that 2024 season.

In two of the last three seasons, Armstrong has been one of the better relief pitchers in baseball. Back in 2023, Armstrong posted a 1.39 ERA and 2.65 xERA across 52 innings. Despite being on the back end of his career, Armstrong has still shown in a large sample size (2023 and 2025) to be an effective high-leverage reliever. Another added benefit to the North Carolina native’s game is he worked more than one inning on several occasions last season, even working as an opener twice.

Contract

Armstrong was only given a one-year deal worth $1.25 million to join the Rangers last season. Given his performances a pay bump is surely in his future. However given his age, and the likelihood of only a one-year deal, the dollar figure on his next contract likely won’t cost more than $6 million. At that price, and if he can perform anywhere near he did in 2023 and 2025, he would be a bargain at the back end of any team’s bullpen.

Recommendation

One of the main area of needs this offseason for president of baseball operations David Stearns is addressing the bullpen. The following are the right-handed relievers that are guaranteed to be under contract for next season: Huascar Brazobán, Alex Carrillo, Justin Hagenman, Jonathan Pintaro, Dylan Ross, and Austin Warren. Taylor Rogers, Ryne Stanek, and Ryan Helsley are all free agents, Reed Garrett under went Tommy John surgery, and Edwin Díaz owns an option he will likely decline, although a new deal may be reached. The Mets’ bullpen as a whole is barren right now and will surely be addressed in the coming months.

Adding Armstrong would just be a small step in rebuilding what is a vital part to any contending team. His price tag would also help avoid taking up too much of the payroll allocation. Not to mention, he would give New York some flexibility in length, if needs be.

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