PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – A year ago, Jason Isringhausen tried out for the Mets in spring training and ended up spending most of the season with the team. Now, C.J. Nitkowski is hoping to follow the same path.

Nitkowski, a 39-year-old lefty who hasn't pitched in the majors since 2005, threw off a mound in front of Mets officials Thursday. General manager Sandy Alderson said later in the day that the Mets hadn't decided whether to offer him a contract.

Journeyman C.J. Nitkowski pitching for the Pirates in 2006. Getty Images

If Nitkowski somehow ends up making the team, though, it would represent a comeback arguably even more remarkable than the one made by Isringhausen, who was coming off his third Tommy John surgery.

Nitkowski, a Long Island native and St. John's alum, pitched in Japan and South Korea for four years before taking last season off. He has reinvented himself as a sidearm pitcher, with the hope of making a major-league team as a lefty one-out specialist.

"Hopefully it gives me an opportunity to extend my career," Nitkowski said.

The Mets already have a lefty in their bullpen, Tim Byrdak, and his roster spot is secure. There are, however, two bullpen spots open, and one could be used to carry a second lefty.

Nitkowski has a history with Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen, who was the Detroit Tigers pitching coach when Nitkowski played for them from 1999 to 2001. Warthen and Mets special assistant J.P. Ricciardi watched him throw off a mound to catcher Mike Nickeas.

"They seem pleased," Nitkowski said. "It's nice to come back into this atmosphere and get feedback from people who know what they're talking about."

Nitkowski pitched for eight major-league teams from 1995 to 2005, including a five-game stint with the Mets in 2001 and a 19-game stint with the Yankees in 2004. He said he recently worked out in front of scouts from other teams but that the Mets would be his first choice.

Write to Brian Costa at brian.costa@wsj.com