"Hardest Year" ERA 2.64… Bessia's Projected FA Value: $36 Million Over 3 Years

Dodgers left-hander Bessia looked back on it as "the hardest year of his career." His ERA was 2.64. A reported three-year, $36 million deal with the Mets is not a contract but a reporter's projection.

Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.

Three-Line Summary

Bessia called the 2026 season "by far the hardest year of his career," and he was not talking about his whole life.
His regular-season line was 72 games with a 2.64 ERA, 7th in the National League in appearances and lower than his career 2.87.
His $3.65 million contract expires, making him a free agent. The report of a three-year, $36 million deal with the Mets is only a reporter's projection.

In 2024, Alex Bessia posted a 1.76 ERA, and the Dodgers won the World Series that year. This year's number is 2.64. Yet he called this season "by far the hardest year of his career." We look at the gap between the record and the confession, and at his next destination ahead of free agency.

Bessia's "hardest year" quote: original text, career rather than life

LA Sports Report reported on October 19 that the original text of his Instagram post was "By far the hardest year of my career." Translating it as "the hardest season of his life" broadens the meaning, but the original's scope is not life, but his playing career. In the same post, Bessia also mentioned confidence, expectations, and emotional swings.

Bessia's stats: 2.64 ERA, 72 appearances, 7th in NL

There is one issue: does "the hardest year" mean poor performance? Over 72 regular-season games, Bessia went 3-1 with 3 saves and 20 holds, with an ERA of 2.64. He struck out 74 batters over 58 innings, and his appearances also rose by 4 games from 68 in 2025.

There is also evidence on the other side. Compared with his 1.76 ERA in 2024, his ERA rose 50% (0.88÷1.76). What he mentioned was confidence, expectations, and emotional swings. His big-game record of a 1.59 ERA over 31 postseason appearances remains intact.

Category	ERA	Games/Innings
2024 regular season (champions)	1.76	—
2026 regular season	2.64	72 games, 58 innings, 74 strikeouts
Regular-season career	2.87	372 games, 332.1 innings
Postseason career	1.59	31 games, 22.2 innings

Baseball-Reference Per Baseball-Reference's tally, Bessia's 72 appearances rank 7th in the National League (as of October 20, 2026, based on regular-season final records). That is 5 games behind No. 1 Brock Burke (Cincinnati).

Rank	Player	Team	Appearances (games)
1	Brock Burke	Cincinnati	77
2	Adrian Morehon	San Diego	76
3	Aaron Ashby	Milwaukee	75
Tied 4th	Brendan Bernardino	Colorado	74
Tied 4th	Kevin Ginkel	Arizona	74
6	Justin Bruihl	St. Louis	73
7	Alex Bessia	Dodgers	72
Tied 8th	Taylor Clarke	Arizona	71
Tied 8th	Dylan Lee	Atlanta	71

Bessia's salary: $2.25 million → $3.65 million; free agent after the season

True Blue LA reported that the Dodgers exercised Bessia's 2026 club option on November 6, 2025. With a base of $3.55 million plus a $100,000 incentive for 68 appearances in 2025, his salary became $3.65 million, a 62% increase from his $2.25 million salary in 2025 (1.4 million ÷ 2.25 million).

The 2026 season, covered by the exercised option, was the final year of the contract. Confirmed reports project that Bessia will hit the free-agent market after the season. There is not yet any basis to read his thank-you message to fans as a farewell announcement.

Season	Salary (USD)	Nature
2025	$2.25 million	Confirmed (salary-arbitration avoidance deal)
2026	$3.65 million	Confirmed (club option + appearance incentive)
Average annual value after FA	About $12 million	Projected (Mets On SI, based on $36 million over 3 years)

Mets 3-year $36 million report: a reporter's projection, not an offer

The projection of a Mets move is based on Mets On SI's analysis by Tommy Kelson. In an October 20 article, Kelson named Bessia as a fitting bullpen target for the Mets and projected the contract at around $36 million over three years. This is not an article reporting a Mets offer or a mutual agreement.

Dividing this projection by 3 years gives an annual average of $12 million, about 3.3 times this year's $3.65 million salary. The conversion to a "Mets 3-year 47.8 billion won" deal cannot be used as a confirmed contract. The exchange rate and reference date used to convert it to 47.8 billion won have not been confirmed either.

By the record, Bessia's 2026 was a season with an ERA lower than his career mark (2.87), and in his own words it was the hardest year of his career. The two facts do not contradict each other. The actual size of any contract has not yet been determined.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What exactly did Bessia say about the "hardest year"?

The original reads "By far the hardest year of my career," meaning "by far the hardest year of his career." LA Sports Report reported on October 19, 2026, citing an Instagram post, and Bessia also mentioned confidence, expectations, and emotional swings.

Q. Is Bessia's Mets contract confirmed?

It has not been confirmed. It is only Tommy Kelson of Mets On SI projecting roughly $36 million over three years, not a report of a Mets offer or a contract agreement.

Q. What was Bessia's 2026 salary?

$3.65 million. The Dodgers exercised the club option on November 6, 2025, and a $100,000 incentive for 68 appearances in 2025 was added to the $3.55 million base.

Related official sites

MLB Alex Bessia official player record — verify regular-season and postseason career stats
MLB Baseball Savant Bessia record — check pitch-type and appearance detail data
Los Angeles Dodgers official website — verify team roster and official announcements
New York Mets official website — check official Mets team news

Hero image · archive photo · not a photo of the current game in the article · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (D. Benjamin Miller), CC0