According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Mets are among five teams currently showing interest in right-handed reliever Liam Hendriks.
Passan notes that the Dodgers, Astros, Blue Jays, and White Sox are the other four teams.
Hendriks is easily the top reliever on the free agent market right now. In fact, since taking over as the Athletics closer during the 2019 season, he has been one of the best relief pitchers in baseball.
Over the past two seasons, Hendriks has recorded a combined 1.79 ERA, 1.70 FIP, 0.90 WHIP, and recorded 39 saves. Last season, he was so dominant he finished ninth in AL Cy Young voting and took home the AL Reliever of the Year award. During his incredible campaign, Hendriks blew just one save, posted a 1.78 ERA, and recorded 37 strikeouts in 24 appearances.
Hendriks relies on his fastball 71% of the time, but turns to his slider as a filthy swing and miss pitch. As MMO’s own Mathew Brownstein pointed out earlier in the offseason, Hendriks’ 52.0% whiff rate on his slider is the 7th-highest mark since 2018. We took a look at Hendriks’ free agent profile earlier this offseason.
Hendriks two best seasons – 1.79 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 6.71 K/BB – have come over the last two years under the watchful eye of Mets’ new team president Sandy Alderson in Oakland.
