Sam Coonrod, Sean Reid-Foley Making Their Cases For 2024

The 2023 season went wrong for the New York Mets in a variety of different ways, but the bullpen was one of the most glaring issues. The Mets’ bullpen currently ranks in the bottom 10 in MLB in ERA. The return of Edwin Díaz will undoubtedly be a significant addition to the bullpen in 2024, but the Mets will still need to find ways to get the ball to him in the ninth inning.

Notably, Sam Coonrod and Sean Reid-Foley, who both recently returned from injuries to make their 2023 debuts, will both be looking to prove their value for next season as they help the Mets’ bullpen close out 2023.

The Mets acquired Coonrod off waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies in February. He has had an up-and-down career since coming into the league in 2019.

The right-handed reliever had a quality rookie season as a San Francisco Giant, but struggled mightily in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, pitching to a 9.82 ERA over 14 2/3 innings before being traded to Philadelphia in the offseason. He re-established himself as a solid middle-inning reliever in 2021, but an injury derailed his 2022 season. When he made his season debut in August, he pitched to a 8.53 ERA, before being optioned to Triple-A.

In his first spring training with the Mets, Coonrod appeared to have found his stride again, pitching five shutout innings while allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out seven. However, a right-lat strain cut his comeback attempt short. He returned to the Mets on August 14, one day short of the day he returned to the Phillies in 2022, but his start to the season was nothing like last year.

So far, with the Mets since his return, he has thrown four innings allowing only one run while striking out three. He will surely get his chances as the season continues to wind down.

Meanwhile, Reid-Foley, who has been with the Mets since being acquired in the 2021 trade that sent Steven Matz to the Blue Jays, had not pitched since April 30, 2022 due to a partially torn UCL. After undergoing Tommy John surgery, Reid-Foley made his first appearance for the Mets on Wednesday night, pitching a 1-2-3 inning against the Atlanta Braves. He then followed that up on Saturday, throwing 1 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out three.

The 27-year-old has pitched to a 5.12 ERA over 20 games and 31 2/3 innings since joining the Mets, striking out 35 batters. He has pitched 22 innings in the minor leagues this year between the St. Lucie Mets, Brooklyn Cyclones, and Syracuse Mets. In that time, he pitched to a 4.09 ERA and struck out 33 batters, including 26 in 16 1/3 innings with Triple-A Syracuse.

It may be too late for the Mets to save this season, but they can still use the remaining games to find out who can help them improve in 2024. With the bullpen having plenty of question marks going forward, Coonrod and Reid-Foley can make strong cases for themselves if they finish the 2023 season strong.