There isn’t a bigger question mark for the 2020 Mets than their bullpen. The Mets’ relievers imploded in 2019 with brutal performances from Edwin Diaz (5.59 ERA) and Jeurys Familia (5.70 ERA), which cost them many winnable games and a possibly a spot in the playoffs. But given Diaz and Familia’s previous success, the bullpen has potential to rebound, especially with newly signed Dellin Betances in the mix.
So, how will Carlos Beltran manage this enigmatic bullpen? It’s Beltran first season as manager, so he will be closely scrutinized for his ability to handle the bullpen all year.
Beltran’s first task will be deciding whether Diaz will be his closer. After saving 57 games with a 1.96 ERA with Seattle in 2018, Diaz pitched so poorly in 2019 that he lost the closer’s role.
“They hired him before I got here to be the closer,” Beltran said at the winter meetings. “So that’s something that we have to talk about.” (Mike Puma, NY Post)
After Diaz was removed as the team’s closer, Seth Lugo earned five saves in August and September. Lugo was also the best Mets’ reliever overall with a 2.70 ERA and 0.90 WHIP, but that doesn’t mean he will be the team’s closer in 2020. Lugo’s inability to pitch back to back days, which is due to his partially torn UCL in his right elbow, makes him a better fit to be used more strategically for multi-inning appearances.
This means Diaz will likely get another chance to redeem himself as closer. The advanced metrics suggest that Diaz should pitch better in 2020, as he posted a 3.07 xFIP in 2019. Beltran also seems confident that Diaz will rebound, adding that it isn’t easy for some players to thrive in their first season in New York. Beltran recounted his own struggles in 2005 when he didn’t preform up to expectations after signing his seven-year $119 million contract with the Mets.
“It’s a process,” Beltran said to Puma. “People a lot of times don’t understand, but when you come from a low-market team to a small-market team to a team that is in New York and you’re going to get all this attention, there’s no doubt that you want to prove yourself. And a lot of times, when things don’t go right, you put extra pressures on yourself.”
Dellin Betances is also a question mark heading into 2020. There’s no denying that he is an elite reliever when healthy – he owns a career 2.36 ERA with a 14.6 K9 – but how durable and effective will be after missing almost all of 2019 with multiple injuries? He suffered shoulder and lat injuries early in the season, and then when he returned in September, the 31-year-old tore his Achilles.
And perhaps the most enigmatic reliever of all is Familia, the former closer who lost his command in 2019. He walked 42 batters in 60 innings pitched, which led to an unsightly 1.73 WHIP. But this is the same reliever that saved a combined 94 games in 2015 and 2016 with a 2.20 ERA, so the Mets will hope that he can rediscover his effectiveness in 2020.
The Mets also have Justin Wilson, Brad Brach, Michael Wacha and Robert Gsellman to round out the bullpen. Wilson (2.54 ERA) and Brach (3.68 ERA) both pitched well last season for New York, while Wacha and Gsellman give Beltran two long relief options as both were former starting pitchers.
Handling a bullpen like this will be a challenge for a first-year manager like Beltran. It won’t be an easy task, but the former all-star outfielder always showed excellent baseball savviness during his playing days, so he should be able to put his relievers in the best position to succeed. He will also have the help of his bench coach Hensley Meulens, who worked as the Giants’ bench coach the previous two seasons under Bruce Bochy.
