With Jeurys Familia on the shelf and potentially needing surgery, the Mets back-end of the bullpen looks a little suspect.
For now, Addison Reed will take the reins as the interim closer, but it’s just a Band-Aid to combat the bleeding.
The Mets need someone to round out their bullpen that has struggled thus far in 2017, and Pirates closer Tony Watson should be an option to consider.
Watson is an impending free agent, meaning if the cards are right, Pittsburgh could consider moving him.
Watson, 32 later this month, has spent the entirety of his seven year career with Pittsburgh and most recently in a closer capacity.
For his career, Watson has registered an even 400 innings in 415 games, while pitching to a 27-13 record and a quality 2.52 ERA.
The southpaw has also logged seven saves this season and has a sparkling 1.32 ERA in 12 games.
Watson would make sense for the Mets as a player who doesn’t have an albatross contract and can be kept as a rental.
However,should the injury bug hit the team yet again in 2018, Watson has proven over his career to be a valuable commodity for any bullpen, meaning the Mets could always bring him back.
It’s just May, but as the trade deadline draws nearer, I expect to hear Watson and the Mets rumors to grow more frequent.
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