Remaining Left-Handed Reliever Options on Free Agent Market

After the departure of their top reliever Aaron Loup to the Los Angeles Angels and the recent signing of Andrew Chafin to the Detroit Tigers, the New York Mets are still in the market for a left handed reliever.

Currently, the top of the depth chart consists of two veteran lefties in  Alex Claudio and Chasen Shreve. While those players can certainly step up when needed, the team is looking for a high leverage lefty reliever, similar to the role Loup played for the club last season. Here are a few left-handed options that remain available on the market:

Tony Watson (36)

At age 36, Tony Watson could still provide a club with a strong left-handed option in the pen. Signing a 1-year deal with the Angels prior to the 2021 season, Watson initially started off strong but then struggled with Los Angeles with a career high 4.64 ERA in 36 games. Luckily for him, he would turn his season around after being dealt back to the San Francisco Giants (with who he played the prior three seasons) and returned to his old form posting a a 2.96 ERA while striking out 19 in 26 games. Even combined with his rocky start in Los Angeles, Watson was effective against left-handed hitters only giving up six runs and 16 hits and 21 strikeouts to a .195 batting average.

Armed with a fastball, slider and changeup, Watson showed he could still dial it up, even at an older age. Throwing his fastball 43 percent of the time, he was able to clock it up to 92 mph last season, which was a nice increase after only throwing it around 89 mph in 2020. 33 percent of his pitches thrown last season was his changeup and was able to hit at around 86 mph and 82 mph with his slider, which he threw around 24 percent of the time.

A veteran of eleven seasons, Watson could provide some veteran leverage on the left handed side of things for New York and has still shown he could dish the ball with authority. An injury late last season kept him from contributing for the Giants in the postseason which means he’ll likely come at an affordable price tag compared to his counterparts.

Ross Detwiler (36)

Noted as one of the first free agents signed by then newly hired Marlins GM Kim Ng, Detwiler was brought on to pitch in high leverage situations as well as eat innings when needed. His first half would be considered average for Miami pitching to a 4.19 ERA and totaling 41 strikeouts. A rocky second half, which included giving up 13 runs and seven home runs in games versus the Dodgers and Nationals led to the team releasing him after the deadline when no one would acquire the lefty.

Signing with San Diego shortly after, Detwiler pitched well enough to redeem what could have been a lost season by posting a 2.57 ERA and six strikeouts in seven appearances. His struggles may have been from being on a team that was less than stellar and proved that he could pitch up to par when on a team that was competing for a playoff spot. Combined with Miami and San Diego, Detwiler actually had better numbers versus right-handed batters, pitching to a .213 batting average while striking out 41.

Relying heavily on his fastball last season, Detwiler clocked it in at around 92mph, throwing it around 51 percent. Armed with a curveball, changeup and slider, he primarily went to said slider and tossed it at around 85 mph, which he used around 37 percent in 2021. His curve and changeup were both used under ten percent of the time last season, with his curve being used around eight percent of the time, clocking in at around 77 mph and his changeup around five percent, coming in at about 85 mph.

A decent arsenal has kept him in the majors for about 13 seasons, which means Detwiler could be low risk-high reward option for New York. Although he initially struggled with Miami, his stint in San Diego proved he could use the up and coming Mets to redeem himself with a better performance in 2022.

Andrew Miller (36)

Another pitcher that has been linked to the Mets for some time now, Andrew Miller still remains a possible left-handed bullpen target for New York. The veteran lefty pitched to a 4.34 ERA over the span of three seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals and has shown to be an incredibly effective reliever who has thrived in many high leverage situations. Previously pitching for the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians, Miller has dominated in many roles he’s taken on, whether it was pitching with a trio that included himself, Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman or taking home the 2016 ALCS MVP after a stellar 20 inning scoreless streak.

Once a hard tossing lefty, Miller has seen his fastball velocity dip down to 88 mph from his previous high of 95mph in 2016. Even with this dip in fastball velocity, he’s relied on his slider and sinker more, especially in 2021. He threw his sinker in only 19 percent of his appearances last season but maintained it’s velocity of 89mph and threw his slider 65 percent of the time and kept it to a velocity of 79 mph. For a reliever who used to throw 95 on his fastball, it seems he can still switch up and stay effective with his sinker and slider. While struggling versus right-handed hitters, Miller was effective versus left-handed hitters striking out 25 to a tune of a .182 batting average.

Although his career is seen as being on the backend, it seems as if there could still be some left in the tank for Miller and cultivating what he has left could prove to be a valuable asset for New York, if they so choose to bring him aboard. Having pitched in numerous high leverage situations in the past and still possessing a decent arsenal of pitches, coming back to the New York market could be a blessing in disguise for him and the Mets.

Derek Holland (35)

The long time Texas Rangers pitcher has battled numerous injuries and bounced around a few teams since his departure from the lone-star state and after a rocky tenure with the Giants and short stints with the Pirates and Cubs, Holland was able to redeem himself as a major league pitcher by locking down a roster spot for the Detroit Tigers last season. After being selected to the 40 man on April 1st, Holland pitched in 39 appearances posting a 3–2 record with a 5.07 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 49 plus innings.

Pitching to left-handed hitters last season, Holland struck out 17 to a .257 batting average in 74 at-bats. Even after a few injuries previously, his velocity in 2021 has stayed just about the same throughout his career with his fastball and slider staying at 93 mph while his changeup comes in at around 85 mph. Holland’s slider clocks in around 82 mph and out of all of the pitches in his arsenal, he relied heavily on his fastball last season by throwing it 40 percent of the time in his appearances.

Holland has previously been linked to the Mets as an option before in seasons past and while he still isn’t the same pitcher that he was with the Texas Rangers, he’s still shown he could be a valuable asset for a major league team. While not the “prettiest” option, Holland could still be a strong asset with consistent stuff to a bullpen that is loaded with talent.