The Mets have Edwin Diaz and Brooks Lally in the bullpen, but there's a lot of uncertainty after that.
When building the roster this offseason, President of Baseball Operations David Stearns acquired a large number of relievers without allocating much salary.
The Mets' biggest expense for a reliever this winter was the one-year contract worth $2 million that Jorge Lopez received last month.
Other names added to the 40-man roster include Austin Adams, Max Kranik and Michael Tonkin.
Aside from Diaz and Reilly, the returning relievers include Drew Smith, Phil Bickford, Reed Garrett, Grant Hartwig, Sean Reid-Foley and Josh Walker, but the Mets' bullpen defense There were no standout players last season who posted a 4.45 percentage. Ranked 22nd in MLB rankings.
That was the bullpen minus Diaz, an All-Star who spent the season rehabbing from surgery to repair the patella tendon in his right knee, which he injured during the World Baseball Classic celebration.
On a Zoom call this week, Stearns acknowledged that the bullpen is still a work in progress.
“It makes some sense to find a way to strengthen the bullpen,” Stearns said. “We can do that in a variety of ways. We might extend the unit or give it a different look, but that's definitely an area for the team and we'll continue to look at it.”
With about a month left until pitchers and catchers report to spring training, there will be no shortage of proven relievers, and if the Mets choose to add a proven arm, they could simply be off the market. You may just have to wait.
But Stearns said he believes the bullpen will be an “evolution” that will happen throughout the season, and he could choose to wait.
“Often what a unit looks like in April and May is very different than what a unit looks like in August and September,” Stearns said. “Probably a very good bullpen in August and September will have names that no one thought would play a prominent role in that bullpen at the beginning of the year. I'm very aware that being part of a team that has that talent is fluid and can generally go through different versions throughout the year. ”
The Diamondbacks are an example of a team that overhauled its bullpen at the trade deadline, found success late in the season, and advanced to the World Series.
“We want to surround ourselves with the best unit we can on opening day,” Stearns said. “However, we also recognize that throughout the full season there are opportunities to change and potentially improve the composition.”
Some names are still on the market.
Josh Hader: The left-handed fireballer traded to the Brewers for Stearns is the top name in the bullpen remaining in free agency. Imagine if the Mets could pair him with Diaz and become the best back end of the bullpen of all time.
Aroldis Chapman: The left-hander, who is used to the spotlight after winning World Series rings with the Cubs and Rangers following his time with the Yankees, had another strong season last year, recording 103 strikeouts in 58 1/3 innings. .
Keiynan Middleton: After a solid performance with the White Sox, the right-handed pitcher appeared in the final 13 games of last season with the Yankees, posting a 1.13 ERA. Middleton induced soft contact and forced batters to whiff. He ranked 97th and 96th in MLB in those categories, respectively, according to Statcast.
Adam Ottavino: The veteran declined his contract option for next season and pursued a multi-year deal, but is still available.
Liam Hendrix: After battling cancer, he returned to the White Sox last season and appeared in five games. The right-hander has been an All-Star in three of the past four seasons.
