On Friday, the Mets continued their busy offseason, this time inking left-handed reliever Justin Wilson to a two-year, $10 million contract.
Wilson joins Robinson Cano, Edwin Diaz, Wilson Ramos, Jeurys Familia and Jed Lowrie as the notable acquisitions New York has made this winter.
Going into the offseason, the bullpen was one of the most pressing needs new general manager Brodie Van Wagenen needed to tackle, and he did just that, as you can see above.
With the acquisitions of Wilson, Diaz and Familia, this is how I project the Mets’ bullpen projects to look like on Opening Day.
- Edwin Diaz – RHP
- Jeurys Familia – RHP
- Justin Wilson – LHP
- Robert Gsellman – RHP
- Seth Lugo – RHP
- Luis Avilan – LHP
- Kyle Dowdy – RHP
So, barring injury, you can guarantee that Diaz, Familia, Wilson, Gsellman and Lugo are locks for the bullpen. The last two spots is where there is some wiggle room.
The Mets will ultimately carry two left-handers now that they have signed Wilson. I think that the competition for the second lefty will likely come down to Avilan and Daniel Zamora, who pitched well at the end of the season after debuting in 2018.
I think Avilan gets the edge considering he is an established veteran and has posted quality numbers throughout his career. (In seven big league seasons, he has held left-handed hitters to a .213/.289/.292 clip).
However, I think that if the Mets need pitching reinforcements, Zamora will be one of the first guys called up.
Then lastly, we have Kyle Dowdy. I’m sure many of you will say, “WHO?!” Yes, he’s a relative unknown, but the Mets picked him up in the Rule 5 draft at the end of the winter meetings from Cleveland, so I think he will get a shot to stick in the majors.
However, if he falters or if the Mets need his roster spot, Dowdy will be sent packing. If he doesn’t make the cut, I think that last spot in the ‘pen will go to someone like Drew Smith, who was solid in the second half of 2018 for New York.
There are a few other guys who I’m sure will be considered for the Opening Day bullpen as well, including Tyler Bashlor, Jacob Rhame, Eric Hanhold, recently acquired Walker Lockett, or even a non-roster invitee should they have an impressive showing.
Regardless, the signing of Wilson further deepens New York’s ‘pen and gives them some more options to work with.
Which seven guys do you think the Mets go with to round out their bullpen for Opening Day?
