Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Mets have bolstered their bullpen in the closing stages of the 2022 MLB trade Deadline after acquiring reliever Mychal Givens from the Chicago Cubs. Andy Martino of SNY initially reported on the Givens trade. The Mets confirmed the trade by sending minor league pitcher Saúl González to the Cubs.

There was no doubt that one of the Mets’ biggest priorities heading into the trade deadline was to add more arms to their bullpen for the second half of the season. While it took a long time coming with things relatively quiet in Queens on Tuesday, general manager Billy Eppler did finally get some reliever help by adding Givens. Martino has also reported that the Mets are in the market for one more reliever.

Givens has a 2.66 ERA this season with the Cubs. He has two saves with 51 strikeouts, a 1.254 WHIP and a 1.1 WAR, while he has a 6-2 record. He has also walked just 19 batters. Perhaps more impressively is the fact that Givens hasn’t given up an earned run since June 14. That is an insane streak of 15 straight scoreless appearances.

Givens has a proven track record in the majors and he’s been a steady reliever since 2015. He has worked with Mets manager Buck Showalter before in Baltimore, and he has a career 3.34 ERA with 517 strikeouts. The 32 relies on three pitches – fastball, slider and changeup–and he’s used his lethal fastball 49% of the time this year.

Givens’ fastball averages 93.5 mph with a 25.2 whiff rate and a 28.2 putaway rate. It has proved to be an effective pitch and one that can prove to be a lethal weapon coming out of the bullpen for the Mets.

The Mets needed another steady, veteran arm in the bullpen and they’ve got that in Givens who has built his career on being an excellent setup man. The fact that he is enjoying an excellent season is just another positive for the Mets, and Givens certainly addresses a big need for little cost.

Givens joins Darin Ruf as the two acquisitions the Mets made today.