Frank asks…

Will Robert Gsellman be the closer next season or should the Mets go after a better option this offseason?

Rob answers…

Hey there, Frank. Thanks for the question.

While Jeurys Familia was used primarily as the closer before he was traded, and Robert Gsellman has gotten a majority of the save chances since Familia was shipped off, the job is still very much up in the air.

When he first became manager, Mickey Callaway also said that he could use a closer by committee at some point. While we didn’t really see that this year, it’s possible next year we could.

But really, it all depends on what the Mets do this offseason.

Familia, Craig Kimbrel, Cody Allen, Kelvin Herrera, Adam Ottavino, Zach Britton and Andrew Miller are all free agents this winter and have experience closing.

If the Mets land one of those guys, they will almost definitely get the majority of save opportunities.

The Mets have two guys of their own becoming free agents who could also close. Jerry Blevins and AJ Ramos, if brought back, could also see save chances.

But for now, let’s focus on in house options who could close out games for New York next year.

The first is obviously the aforementioned Gsellman.

It’s been a roller coaster season of sorts for the right-hander, but at the end of the day, he has righted the ship at the back end of the pen.

Overall, he has registered 11 saves and pitched to a 3.97 ERA, 3.97 FIP, 93 ERA+, 1.247 WHIP, and 7.8 K/9. However, in the second half, his ERA is a bit lower at 3.18.

Gsellman doesn’t have the flashiest of numbers this year, but has shown signs of improvement after being used differently by manager Mickey Callaway.

A few other names who I could see thrown around as a potential closer are Anthony Swarzak, the hard-throwing Tyler Bashlor and southpaw Daniel Zamora.

Swarzak is a veteran, so of the three, I think he’d make the most sense. However, Bashlor, if he can be consistent, has the tools to be a closer, and Zamora has the nasty secondary pitches to put guys away.

So those are some of the in house options I’d say we could see closing in 2019.

We’re forgetting one more guy though: Jenrry Mejia.

Yes, good old Jenrry, who had his lifetime ban lifted by the MLB.

29-years-old next year, Mejia will surely be in Spring Training with the Mets trying to make a comeback. While it’s a longshot since he hasn’t played pro ball in years, he does have experience closing.

If he performs in Spring and can prove he can be effective, New York could potentially use him as a closer. But again, who knows what the future even holds for Mejia.

At the end of the day, it’ll really come down to the next GM and what he decides to do in free agency to bolster the pen. Regardless, there are several in house options that are appealing, as well as a few solid free agents who have experience closing.