It’s time to put up or shut up for the Mets, and more specifically, their bullpen.
On the eve of pitchers and catchers reporting to St. Lucie to kick off Spring Training, Mets’ reliever Jeurys Familia has made a bold claim: the Mets have the best bullpen in baseball.
“I think our bullpen is the best bullpen right now in the big leagues,” Familia said in a video posted by SNY on Twitter. “If everybody is healthy, I think we are going to do something special this year.”
There’s no doubt the Mets’ bullpen is packed with talent, but it also has its flaws and its red flags.
As a collective in 2019, New York’s relievers ranked sixth worst in the majors with a 4.95 ERA. This was due in large part to Familia’s dismal 5.70 ERA and 4.88 FIP in 66 appearances, and Edwin Diaz‘s equally bad, if not worse, campaign where he registered a 5.59 ERA and 4.51 FIP in 66 appearances.
Both Familia and Diaz have made strides to better themselves going into 2020. Familia dropped 30 lbs. this winter and has worked with new pitching coach Jeremy Hefner on his mechanics.
“Jeurys has been a man on a mission this offseason,” general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said, according to the New York Post. “He has worked with our health and performance department to improve in every aspect of his preparation. In addition to losing weight, he has spent time with [pitching coach] Jeremy Hefner to better understand his mechanics and his approach. He has been throwing off the mound at Citi Field since before the holidays.”
Familia inked a three-year, $30 million contract to return to the Mets prior to the 2019 season. In a primarily setup man capacity, the right-hander struggled to perform like he did for the team in the past. However, if Familia can return to the pitcher he once was, or even a fraction of that, the team will be in much better shape.
For Diaz, the centerpiece of the blockbuster trade that saw outfield prospect Jarred Kelenic and pitching prospect Justin Dunn go to the Mariners last offseason, the same holds true. If the Mets are going to have any inkling of sustained success, they need Diaz to be the pitcher he was in 2018, not last year.
General manager Brodie Van Wagenen said earlier this month that he believes a bounce back year is in the cards for the reliever. Diaz has reportedly made mechanical adjustments this winter and even worked with new Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, who worked with Diaz down in Puerto Rico.
Diaz also put this video up on his Twitter account to highlight some of the work he’s been doing:
https://twitter.com/SugarDiaz39/status/1220720382438670339
Diaz has also been working with former Met and Hall-of-Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez this winter, according to SNY.
“We remained in contact all offseason,” Diaz said through a translator. “I would send him videos, he would send me videos and feedback.”
The team brought in Dellin Betances this winter on a prove it type deal to give the Mets the potential of another elite reliever at the back end of the bullpen.
Betances could give the Mets some serious strength back there, but is coming off an injury-riddled campaign in 2019, so there are some question marks about his health and how effective he might be.
If everything breaks right for the Mets, Familia’s claims could prove to be true. If not, the team is destined for instability with the bullpen as a liability once again.
