The New York Mets have one glaring hole on their roster with just about three weeks left til pitchers and catchers report for spring training.
The bullpen continues to be the target of much talk surrounding this team as they have yet to sign or trade for any notable major league reliever. Names continue to get knocked off the board as we head twoards the 2017 season and Sandy Alderson does not seem too inclined to move on the current market as pointed out by Matt Ehalt of NorthJersey.com.
“I like that we have so much flexibility and so many different options. We go out and sign a reliever we’re locked in. If you go back and look at our history, we haven’t exactly come up cherries on signing free agent relievers and I think that has a lot to do with the volatility they represent,” Alderson said.
“The fact is once you commit to someone that eliminates and detracts from the flexibility we currently have right now and I think we have flexibility with quality.”
Alderson is looking to rely on his right-handed relievers who have performed well against left-handed hitters. Both Jeurys Familia and Addison Reed performed nicely against hitters on both sides of the dish in 2016. One of the more surprising names though who handled lefties with a sense of dominance was Hansel Robles.
Robles held lefties to a .179/.299/.586 batting line this past season. He may be the one pitcher that Alderson and manager Terry Collins look to see continue growth from as part of their reasoning in not signing another reliever. In what once seemed to be a lock, it no longer seems a sure thing that the Mets will sign or trade for any relief.
The Mets though are in need of some help to sure up this pen, especially for a team who will contend. There are some quality options left on the market as our own Michael Mayer pointed out the other day in this article. It would seem silly for Alderson to not bring in some extra help, especially with a lengthy suspension looming over the head of their closer.
Brining back Jerry Blevins and Fernando Salas would be a huge boost to their current corps. This is something that Sandy really must look to do at this point as this team cannot afford to have this bullpen as a weakness with too many question marks regarding its starting staff and how long they may pitch into games.
Personally, I would like to see the Mets take a shot on former Royals closer, Greg Holland. He will be looking to prove his worth yet again, coming back from Tommy John surgery and could be quite beneficial on a one-year deal.
With pitchers and catchers scheduled to report to spring training on February, 13, it will be interesting to see if we are looking at the same bullpen that we currently have now as we ready for opening day of the 2017 season.
