The Mets have addressed one of their most pressing offseason needs by acquiring outfielder Harrison Bader.
Now that they have Bader on board, they can focus on other things in their quest to be the “serious playoff contender” David Stearns claims they will be in 2024.
At least one more starting pitcher is required by the Mets.
Since the National League introduced the designated hitter prior to the 2022 season, they have been without a legitimate option.
In order to help New York finish building a bridge—which is currently just a body of water—to Edwin Diaz, they also require two relievers who can pitch in the late innings.
As the Mets fill their other holes, it appears that the need for significant relief help has been overlooked, but it is a serious situation that needs to be addressed.
This offseason, the Mets added a lot of bullpen players, but none of them were surefire picks.
The most audacious name New York has added is Jorge Lopez, and he has intriguing credentials. However, he has only had one major league season that has not been below average—an All-Star campaign for the Orioles in 2022 with a 2.54 ERA—and has a career ERA of 5.51 (with a 1.48 WHIP) of 5.95.
Relievers such as Michael Tonkin, Austin Adams, and Kyle Crick, who have been signed to minor league contracts with invites to spring training or non-guaranteed split contracts, are signed below Lopez.
Maybe one or two of the lottery tickets they purchased will be won by the Mets. The top teams are those who consistently add players to their bullpen by identifying gems who, for various reasons, haven’t developed with other teams.
However, Lopez’s second successful season in nine does not guarantee it for the Mets. Additionally, they cannot rely on any of their smaller bullpen additions to make a significant impact.
Diaz, a potent end-of-game force who should be back to full strength after missing the entire 2023 season due to a freak knee injury sustained while celebrating with teammates during the World Baseball Classic, is what the Mets need to rely on right now.
Apart from Diaz, there’s also Brooks Raley, a capable reliever who is arguably mismatched as a setup man.
There’s also Drew Smith, who is entering his last season before free agency and shows promise but hasn’t quite been able to put it all together.
After that, things get murky because the 40-man roster includes relievers like Reed Garrett, Phil Bickford, Grant Hartwig, Sean Reid-Foley, Josh Walker, and Yohan Ramirez.
In other words, the Mets lack a reliable late-inning arm to assist in getting the ball to Diaz.
Fortunately for them, there are still a lot of free agent relievers available who meet that requirement.
Josh Hader is the first person that springs to mind; he is looking for a $100 million deal that would span at least five years. The thought of Hader and Diaz together at the end of games is very alluring, provided that Hader is content to set up for Diaz or split closer duties.
If Hader isn’t selected by the Mets, they still have access to about six other relievers, the majority of whom aren’t likely to sign multi-year contracts and have affordable salaries.
Hector Neris, Phil Maton, Matt Moore, Ryne Stanek, Robert Stephenson, and longtime friend David Robertson are a few of them.
Stephenson, who split his excellent season between the Pirates and Rays, is arguably the most intriguing of the group.
Stephenson, who used a cutter that he debuted last season and threw over 40% of the time, and a fastball that averaged just under 97 mph, had an astounding 13.2 strikeouts per nine innings pitched in 52.1 innings over 60 appearances. His 3.10 ERA and 0.87 WHIP were also impressive.
With the exception of the shortened 2020 season, Neris has been the picture of health, making 68 or more appearances in every season since 2019, making him one of the most dependable late-inning relievers since his rookie season in 2015.
And there are still others, like Robertson (who has shown he can succeed in New York and did not want to be traded at last year’s deadline), Maton (whose funky delivery would offer a different look), Moore (a left-handed crossover guy who has emerged after transitioning from a starting role), and Stanek (a bullpen mainstay with the Astros for the last three seasons).
In the event that Hader is not pursued, the Mets can construct their bullpen similarly to how they did with the signings of Bader and Luis Severino: add important players who can make the team competitive in 2024 but who won’t significantly affect their strategy of playing at the top of the market and going all in the next offseason.