Opinion: Mets Have More Questions Than Answers in Bullpen

Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

One of the goals for Sandy Alderson and the Mets new front office this offseason has to be addressing a bullpen that pitched to 4.60 ERA in 2020.

Too often this season Luis Rojas was calling to his bullpen without being able to trust their ability to hold a lead or keep a game for snowballing out of control. While there are certainly some intriguing names that could be had in free agency (Liam Hendriks, Brad Hand), the Mets roster is currently saturated with too many relievers to make sweeping changes.

Let’s take a look at the list of potential bullpen arms that are currently on the 40-man roster:

While all of these pitchers could figure into the Mets plans in 2021, there are obviously different tiers to consider. The last 10 pitchers mentioned on this list likely factor as depth more than anything else, with Barnes, Tropeano and McWilliams all being added as such after the season.

McWilliams clearly has the highest ceiling of the bunch, as the Mets signed him to a major league contract at $750,000. But he still has options available to start the year in the minors.

Focusing in on the top eight arms mentioned above, there are clearly some decisions that need to be made this offseason if the Mets plan to add multiple arms to their bullpen in free agency or trades.

There will once again be the annual conversation as to whether Lugo and Gsellman are starting pitcher or relievers, although neither will be handed a role in the rotation after struggling in their starts this season. Lugo has the better chance to be an impact starting pitcher, but his role in the bullpen was sorely missed when he made the switch.

Meanwhile Gsellman is a potential non-tender candidate, although he still has an option left if the Mets want to start him in the minors next season. Still, even if Gsellman is removed from the active roster, New York looks to have seven arms locked into the bullpen before they even try to make an addition.

Coming off a solid bounce-back season, Edwin Diaz should return as the closer heading into the season. Behind him though, the Mets are short of late-inning arms to bridge the gap to Diaz.

Lugo fits the bill if returned into the pen, while Familia and Betances receive consideration based on reputation alone. Neither aging veteran performed up to their contract in 2020, as both head into the final year of deals the Mets may have buyer’s remorse on. Could they find a suitor for either reliever on the market?

It’s unlikely. Unless they are willing to attach prospects or eat a large portion of their contracts (which is obviously more viable now under Steve Cohen).

Next we look at two pitchers who both enjoyed most of their success with the Baltimore Orioles.

Following a season in which he pitched to a 5.84 ERA, Brad Brach exercised a player option that will pay him $2.075 million in 2021. The 34-year-old could help the Mets as a middle reliever next season, but has a contract that is cheap enough to either move or simply swallow if they were able to add better pitchers in free agency.

On the other hand, Miguel Castro offers the Mets upside of potentially becoming a late-inning arm, yet he has failed to meet those expectations throughout his career. Despite the upper-90’s fastball, Castro has pitched to a career 4.29 ERA, with a 1.40 WHIP.

While Castro’s 14.0 K/9 with the Mets was promising, it was overshadowed by an alarming 8.0 BB/9. The 25-year-old is a non-tender candidate himself, but it is more likely to see him return as New York tries to squeeze some value out of the pitcher that they just traded for at the deadline.

With all that being said, the Mets are going have to be creative if they want to improve their bullpen for the 2021 season. If Major League Baseball returns to a 26-man roster, it will be hard to carry more than eight relievers for any extended of period of time next season.

So if Alderson and company are looking to bring in some impact arms to shake up their relief corps, they are likely going to have to find a way to move on from some of their incumbents to make room.