Yesterday, the Mets hosted a Christmas party for kids, but a few Mets players spoke to the press during the course of the day. One of those players was relief pitcher Jerry Blevins, who spoke to the press on a variety of topics.
However, one stood out above the rest as he was asked about what the team needs to contend next season to which he responded as follows:
“It’s pretty obvious that we have a need back there for another big arm, especially with some of the limits we are going to have on the starting pitching between coming back from injury and lower innings limits,” he said. “If we can an Addison Reed type or a power arm at the back end, it will take a lot of pressure off [Jeurys] Familia, myself and AJ [Ramos] to be able to handle some of that workload.”
So let’s dissect that response.
Blevins clearly voiced the obvious need of at least one more reliable reliever being added. It has become a foregone conclusion that the Mets will add a solid relief pitcher to the bullpen this offseason whether it be in the form of Bryan Shaw, Brandon Morrow, or in the name he directly mentioned in Addison Reed.
Another part he mentions is the starting pitching limitations the Mets plan to enact next season to preserve their starters over the course of the season. Once again, he is right to say that this needs to be a factor in the Mets decision making.
Lastly, he spoke of his belief that this could significantly lessen the workload on AJ Ramos, Jeurys Familia, and even himself. After a season in which he appeared in a career-high 75 games and finished seventh in the league in this category, it is not surprising for him to give this subtle hint to the Mets front office.
Hopefully, Blevins will get his wish as the Mets need to do something to bolster the bullpen that at the same time could help the rotation.
