The Mets managed to win 86 games in 2019 and finished 10 games over .500. But can you imagine if their bullpen was just semi-good?

Big offseason acquisitions Edwin Diaz and Jeurys Familia were huge busts in 2019, which was a large part of the Mets’ demise.

Going forward, Seth Lugo (if he doesn’t shift to the rotation) and Justin Wilson, who was also brought in last winter, figure to be key pieces to the success of the Mets bullpen, but the rest of it is going to need some work with some external pieces brought in this winter.

However, two pitchers in the bullpen this past year who could also be valuable in 2020 are Luis Avilan and Brad Brach. The only caveat is, they need to be used correctly.

Prior to the season, Avilan was brought in as a lefty specialist, but former manager Mickey Callaway used him haphazardly. In fact, Avilan actually faced more right-handers than lefties in 2019, and the results are night and day.

Avilan allowed four home runs, surrendered 28 hits, was tagged for 16 runs and batters had a 1.046 OPS against him in 87 plate appearances. Against lefties? five hits, one home run and a .369 OPS against him in 54 plate appearances.

For his career, Avilan has always performed better against lefties. Right-handed hitters have a career .714 OPS against him, while lefties have a .564 OPS.

The Venezuela native is a free agent this winter, but should be brought back in the capacity of a LOOGY, not a multi-out or inning reliever that he was used in this season.

Now on to Brad Brach, who was signed midseason as the Mets attempted to make a playoff push late in the summer.

The New Jersey native began the year with the Chicago Cubs, but struggled mightily, which led to his ultimate release. In 42 games with Chicago, Brach had an alarming 6.13 ERA in 42 games out of the bullpen.

After coming over to the Mets, Brach fared much better, pitching to a 3.68 ERA with a 2.67 FIP in 16 outings (14.2 innings pitched).

After coming over to the Mets, Brach worked with pitching coach Phil Regan, who helped him “get back to the basics” which paid off mightily, as the righty rebounded to finish the season on a high note.

“It’s just simplifying mechanics the last few outings here, working with Phil (Regan). I just got back to what I’d been doing in years past,” Brach said, according to The Athletic. “With the Cubs, I got away from what I had been doing. It’s basically going back to the basics.”

Brach, however, also thrives when he pitches against right-handed hitters. In 2019, the 33-year-old held righties to a .211/.297/.278 clip in 156 plate appearances. Lefties? Well, they hit .403/.500/.639 against him in 86 plate appearances.

If used correctly, and if the Mets bring them back, both Avilan and Brach could add two useful arms to the bullpen.

While Avilan is a free agent as mentioned above, Brach’s status is a bit more tricky. He does have a player option, but some argue that that was only part of his deal with the Cubs and not the Mets.

Regardless, if New York has an opportunity to bring back both, it could pay great dividends next season.