Like many Mets’ relievers in 2019, Robert Gsellman disappointed. Granted, nobody was setting sky-high expectations for the right-handed reliever, but the team was hoping for more than his 4.66 ERA and 1.36 WHIP. In 2018, Gsellman posted a 4.28 ERA and 3.95 FIP, so his 2019 preformance was a bit of a letdown. Gesllman also had his season end prematurely, as he suffered a partial tear of his right lat muscle in August.
Currently, Gsellman is expected back in the Mets bullpen, but should the team guarantee him a spot, or should they add another reliever? The Mets already signed Dellin Betances and Michael Wacha, but acquiring more depth is never a bad thing, especially given how poorly their bullpen performed in 2019.
Taking a closer look at Gsellman’s 2019 numbers, he showed flashes of effectiveness, but he also experienced several brutal meltdowns. From April to May 22, Gesllman shined with a 2.48 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 29 innings pitched. These numbers include a dominant stretch where he didn’t allow a run in eight straight appearances, but his season suddenly came crashing downhill.
He allowed 12 runs over his next 6.2 innings, raising his ERA to 5.05. His worst appearance came on June 4 against the Giants where he allowed five runs to score while only retiring one batter. This outing – and a few other mishaps – inflated his June ERA to 10.24, but he recovered with a 3.46 ERA in July.
In total, Gsellman’s up-and-down campaign is about what you’d expect from a typical middle reliever/long man: He’ll have many solid moments, but he’ll have some stretches where he gets hit hard, like he was in the month of July.
There’s nothing wrong with having a reliever of this caliber as one of the last members of the bullpen, but given all the question marks the Mets have with their relief corps, they should be adding as much depth as possible.
Now that Will Harris is off the board after signing a three-year $24 million deal with the Nationals, the Mets can no longer sign another impact reliever. All the top options are gone, but there are still plenty of pitchers who can challenge Gsellman for a bullpen spot.
While a reliever like Collin McHugh, for example, might only be projected for 0.5 WAR, having another capable reliever in the mix will be a good insurance policy in case the worst happens again for the Mets bullpen in 2020.
It’s no guarantee that Edwin Diaz and Jeurys Familia return to their former levels of dominance, or that Betances recaptures his usual success after missing almost the entire season due to injuries. The Mets should anticipate for the worst to happen, instead of hoping that everything will work out for the best like it does on paper.
If this means pushing Gsellman to Triple-A, then they should do it. A reliever fresh off a season with a 4.66 ERA and 4.66 xFIP shouldn’t be guaranteed a spot, especially since he will be returning from a season ending injury. Gsellman has two minor league options remaining, according to Fangraphs.
The Mets saw that their regular Triple-A depth like Jacob Rhame, Tyler Bashlor, and others, can’t be relied upon on the major league level, so adding more quality depth will be a nice boost for the 2020 Mets.
