Down 3-1 in the bottom of the 8th inning on the road, a manager will not typically bring in his closer. When playing an away game, it is common practice to save your closer for the save situation. Sunday against the Diamondbacks, Jeurys Familia was brought in with the Mets losing 3-1 in the 8th inning. The first thought was that he was just getting some work in his first day back from the disabled list and the Mets sure to lose. Though, what happened next supplied some ambiguity.

After the Mets miraculously scored four runs in the top of the 9th thanks to Jose Reyes, Jose Bautista, Brandon Nimmo, and Asdrubal Cabrera, a save situation arose with the Mets up 5-3. Who answered the call down to the bullpen? None other than Robert Gsellman who recorded his third save of the season, allowing only one baserunner due to a Dominic Smith gaffe.

The 24-year-old has been phenomenal this season, cementing himself as one of the Mets’ best relievers. In 42.0 innings, he’s pitched to a 2.79 ERA and 3.49 FIP, striking out 41 to contribute to a 5-1 record. His competition, Jeurys Familia, just came back from the disabled list and looked pretty shaky.

In his one inning of work Sunday, Familia allowed an earned run on three hits and a walk, failing to strike out any of the six batters he faced. He owned a 1.64 ERA on May 21st, but has given up at least one run in four of his last seven appearances to raise it more than a full run to 2.70.

They are actually fairly similar pitchers, but while they’re both ground ball pitchers, Gsellman induces them at a much higher rate, 54.5% to Familia’s 48.8% this season. Both strike out a lot of hitters and limit damage done by the home run ball, but Gsellman has also been luckier than Familia this season as he has a .264 BABIP against while Familia’s is .354.

Familia was noticeably rusty Sunday, so it makes sense to have Gsellman close some games until Familia shows he’s sturdy enough to close games. That is not the only reason the Mets should see what Gsellman has to offer as the closer, though.

With Familia due to hit free agency at the end of the season, the Mets have a decision ahead of them: To extend or not to extend. It would be prudent to see what they have in Gsellman, because if they know they have a solid closer in him, they won’t need to spend a ton of money to keep Familia in Queens. Better yet, they could extend him a qualifying offer to get draft pick compensation.

Even before then, the Mets need to be thinking about the July 31st deadline. If they do decide to sell, trading Familia will be a lot easier on the bullpen if they know Gsellman can step up and be the closer for the rest of the season.

For someone who wanted to be a starter, Gsellman has settled into his bullpen role extremely well. He’s only getting better as he becomes accustomed to pitching in the 8th and 9th innings, and if the Mets decide to move on from Familia sooner rather than later, we will have a more than adequate replacement.