In the Mets’ bullpen, Edwin Diaz and Brooks Raley are followed by a great deal of uncertainty.
President of Baseball Operations David Stearns has stocked up on relievers in large quantities this winter without devoting a significant amount of salary to the position.
The $2 million one-year contract that Jorge Lopez signed last month represents the biggest outlay made on behalf of a Mets reliever thus far this winter.
The 40-man roster now has Austin Adams, Max Kranick, and Michael Tonkin among others.
Aside from Diaz and Raley, the returning relievers include Drew Smith, Phil Bickford, Reed Garrett, Grant Hartwig, Sean Reid-Foley, and Josh Walker. None of them stood out during the previous season, when the Mets’ bullpen posted a 4.45 ERA that was 22nd in MLB.
That bullpen was missing Diaz, the All-Star who was hurt during a celebration at the World Baseball Classic and had to recover all season from surgery to replace his right knee’s patellar tendon.
This week, Stearns admitted during a Zoom call that the bullpen is still a work in progress.
“Finding ways to solidify our bullpen makes some sense,” Stearns said. “We can do that in a variety of different ways. It can be lengthening out that unit, it can be providing different looks, but that certainly is an area of the team we’ll continue to look at.”
There is no lack of reliable relievers available, and the Mets might wait to add a proven arm if they so want. Pitchers and catchers report to spring training in about a month.
However, Stearns added that he could decide to wait because he sees the bullpen as a team that is in a constant state of “evolution” during the season.
“Often what that unit looks like in April and May is very different from what that unit looks like in August and September,” Stearns said. “There are probably names in really good bullpens in August and September that no one was really thinking about playing prominent roles in those bullpens at the front of the year, so I am very cognizant that this is a part of a team that generally has some fluidity to it and generally can go through different versions of itself throughout the course of a year.”
One team that made significant changes to their bullpen before the trade deadline and enjoyed success in the latter part of the season—winning the World Series—is the Diamondbacks.
“We want to put together the best unit in the pen that we possibly can as of Opening Day,” Stearns said. “But we also recognize there are going to be opportunities to change the mix and potentially improve as we go through a full season.”
Among the names that are currently available:
Josh Hader: The best bullpen name still available in free agency is the left-handed fireballer, who was traded to the Brewers by Stearns. If the Mets put him and Diaz together, they could have an all-time great back end of the pen.
Aroldis Chapman: Having won World Series rings with the Cubs and Rangers and spent time with the Yankees, the left-hander is no stranger to the spotlight. He had a fantastic season last year, striking out 103 batters in 58 ³/₃ innings.
Keynan Middleton: The right-hander turned in a strong performance for the White Sox before starring for the Yankees in his final 13 games of the previous year, going 13–13 with a 1.13 ERA. Middleton persuaded hitters to swing and miss by inducing soft contact. According to Statcast, he was in the 97th and 96th percentiles of MLB in both areas, respectively.
Adam Ottavino: The seasoned player is still free to sign a multiyear contract, having turned down a contract option for the upcoming season.
Liam Hendriks: After battling cancer, he rejoined the White Sox and played in five games the previous season. The right-hander spent the previous four seasons as an All-Star.