Photo by Ed Delany of MetsmerizedOnline

Entering training camp, David Peterson and Tylor Megill were suppose to by vying for the sixth rotation spot. However, due to the injury suffered by José Quintana, the battle between Peterson and Megill quickly became for the fifth and final rotation spot. With the regular season just five day away, it is clear who should get that spot.

The no-brainer choice is David Peterson. The 27-year-old lefty has 12 innings of scoreless baseball under his belt this spring training. Over these innings, he has only allowed one hit while striking out 13. He has been one of the Mets’ top players in camp.

Though, when evaluating who should win a spot out of camp, prior history should be taken into consideration as well. A small sample size in spring training should not be the only aspect taken into account. Well, as we have seen in the past, the southpaw Peterson has shown the ability to be an effective bottom-of-the-rotation starter before. Last season, he started 19 games posting a very respectable 3.86 ERA. Across the 91 innings pitched as a starter, he struck out 110 and only allowed 81 hits.

Further, Peterson did a great job inducing swing and misses with his sweeping slider – as his 81st ranked whiff rate demonstrates. This helped him register the aforementioned strong strikeout rate of 27.8 percent which was good for the league’s 79th percentile. He was also able to limit hits (57th percentile xBA). This all resulted in the strong ERA and an xERA under 4.00, both figures representing a strong bottom-of-the-rotation pitcher.

Peterson’s spring performances just backed up what he did last year. There really is not an argument for anyone besides Peterson as the team’s fifth starter to begin the season. If he can get the walk and occasional control issues in check, Peterson should be able to emerge as not only a fill in for the injured Quintana, but a staple in the rotation for the foreseeable future.

Tylor Megill. Photo by: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

As mentioned above, the other likeliest candidate to fill the last starter role was Tylor Megill. Megill got a surprise Opening Day start last year, though, his numbers by the end of the season were extremely lackluster. This was largely thanks to a woeful performance against the Washington Nationals in his seventh start of last season where he allowed eight runs in only 1 1/3 innings. Megill then missed parts of the rest of the season due to injury.

All in all, Megill posted a 5.13 ERA and 4.31 xERA last year. He was also trending downward before injury ultimately derailing his season, as he allowed nine runs across four starts prior to the blow up and subsequent injury against Washington. Despite this, a fully healthy and slimmed-down Megill looked poised to battle for a starting rotation spot this spring.

Overall, his performance wasn’t bad at all. It started off very strong, before he faltered in his last two appearances. That includes yesterday, where Megill allowed three runs and walked five in only five innings. In total, the right-handed pitcher gave up seven runs over 17 innings (3.71 ERA) this spring. He also gave up 14 hits while striking out 12, but walked a staggering 13. Though, he did say after the game, those walks may be a result of him trying new things. Which, given its spring training, makes sense.

At the end of the day, Megill made a solid case for himself. Though, Peterson was lights out, and also has the historical data that backs him up as what should be the fifth starter come the second game of the season (when the fifth starter spot projects to pitch). Megill should prove to be great insurance behind Peterson and first in line if something else happens to the rotation. You can never have too much depth, and, luckily for the Mets, looks like they have just that.

The post Analyzing Why David Peterson Should Be The Mets’ Fifth Starter appeared first on Metsmerized.

Billy Eppler and Justin Verlander. Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The National League East was one of the best divisions in baseball last season. The division saw three teams move on to the playoffs, it housed two 101-win team, and supplied the National League’s representative in the World Series. Once again, it’s projected to be one of the most competitive divisions in the league. The New York Mets and Atlanta Braves each have top-five odds to win the World Series, and the pennant-winning Philadelphia Phillies are not far behind.

Given the above, it is no surprise that several of the NL East teams were active this off-season. How active you may wonder? Let’s take a look at each team’s additions and subtractions.

Parameters

Next to each player’s name under the ‘subtractions’ section is last year’s WAR generated by the player. This year’s projected WAR for the player will be listed next to their name in the ‘additions’ section. The net WAR added/subtracted will be disclosed at the bottom of each section.

All WAR projections and figures from last year are per Fangraphs.

Not all subtractions and additions are included. The only subtractions are the ones that played a valuable role, for better or worse, with the club last year. As for the additions, only players listed on the Fangraph’s 2023 projected depth charts for the specific clubs are listed.

Dansby Swanson. Photo credits: USA Today

Atlanta Braves

Additions:

• Sean Murphy, C (trade): 4.0 WAR
• Joe Jimenez, RP (trade): 0.6 WAR
• Jordan Luplow, OF/1B (free agent): 0.6 WAR
• Lucas Luetge, RP (trade): 0.2 WAR
• Sam Hilliard, OF (trade): 0.1 WAR
• Nick Anderson, RP (free agent): 0.0 WAR
• Dennis Santana, RP (trade): 0.0 WAR

Total Projected WAR Added (per Fangraphs): 5.5 WAR

Subtractions:

• Dansby Swanson, SS: 6.4 WAR
• William Contreras, DH/C: 2.4 WAR
• Kenley Jansen, RP: 1.1 WAR
• Adam Duvall, OF: 0.9 WAR
• Jesse Chavez, RP: 0.9 WAR
• Robbie Grossman, OF: 0.2 WAR
• Jake Odorizzi, SP: 0.1 WAR
• Ehire Adrianza, OF: 0.1 WAR
• Guillermo Heredia, OF: 0.0 WAR
• Darren O’Day, RP: 0.0 WAR

Total WAR Subtracted (per Fangraphs): 12.1 WAR

Net WAR Added/Subtracted: -6.6 WAR

Kodai Senga. Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

New York Mets

Additions:

• Justin Verlander, RP (free agent): 4.0 WAR
• Kodai Senga, SP (free agent): 2.2 WAR
• Omar Narváez, C (free agent): 2.0 WAR
• Jose Quintana, SP (free agent): 1.9 WAR
• Tommy Pham, OF (free agent): 0.5 WAR
• David Robertson, RP (free agent): 0.4 WAR
• Brooks Raley, RP (trade): 0.2 WAR
• Elieser Hernández, RP (trade): 0.2 WAR

Total Projected WAR Added (per Fangraphs): 11.4 WAR

Subtraction

• Chris Bassitt, SP: 2.7 WAR
• Taijuan Walker, SP: 2.5 WAR
• Jacob deGrom, SP: 2.2 WAR
• Trevor Williams, SP/RP: 0.6 WAR
• James McCann, C: 0.4 WAR
• Joely Rodriguez, RP: 0.4 WAR
• Seth Lugo, RP: 0.2 WAR
• Trevor May, RP: 0.1 WAR
• Mychal Givens, RP: -0.1 WAR
• Dominic Smith, 1B/DH: -0.1 WAR
• Tyler Naquin, OF: -0.1 WAR

Total WAR Subtracted (per Fangraphs): 8.8 WAR

Net WAR Added/Subtracted: 2.6 WAR

Trea Turner. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia Phillies

Additions:

• Trea Turner, SS (free agent): 4.5 WAR
• Taijuan Walker, SP (free agent): 1.5 WAR
• Craig Kimbrell, RP (free agent): 0.5 WAR
• Gregory Soto, RP (trade): 0.5 WAR
• Kody Clemens, INF/OF (trade): 0.2 WAR
• Matt Strahm, RP (free agent): 0.1 WAR

Total Projected WAR Added (per Fangraphs): 7.3 WAR

Subtractions

• Kyle Gibson, SP: 1.8 WAR
• Jean Segura, 2B: 1.7 WAR
• Zach Eflin, SP/RP: 1.4 WAR
• Noah Syndergaard, SP: 1.1 WAR
• Nick Maton, INF: 0.8 WAR
• Odúbel Herrera, OF: 0.4 WAR
• Johan Camargo, INF: 0.4 WAR
• David Robertson, RP: 0.3 WAR
• Brad Hand, RP: 0.3 WAR
• Corey Knebel, RP: 0.0 WAR
• Matt Vierling, OF: 0.0 WAR

Total WAR Subtracted (per Fangraphs): 8.2 WAR

Net WAR Added/Subtracted: -0.9 WAR

Pablo Lopez. Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Miami Marlins

Additions:

• Luis Arráez, INF (trade): 3.3 WAR
• Jean Segura, 2B (free agent): 2.4 WAR
• Johnny Cueto, SP (free agent): 0.9 WAR
• JT Chargois, RP (trade): 0.1 WAR

Total Projected WAR Added (per Fangraphs): 6.7 WAR

Subtractions

• Pablo López, SP: 2.8 WAR
• Miguel Rojas, SS: 1.2 WAR
• Brian Anderson, 3B/OF: 0.5 WAR
• Jeff Brigham, RP: 0.2 WAR
• Cody Poteet, RP: -0.1 WAR
• Cole Sulser, RP: -0.2 WAR
• Lewin Diaz, 1B: -0.7 WAR
• Elieser Hernández, RP: -0.9 WAR

Total WAR Subtracted (per Fangraphs): 2.8 WAR

Net WAR Added/Subtracted: 3.9 WAR

Dominic Smith. Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Washington Nationals

Additions:

• Jeimer Candelario, 3B/1B (free agent): 1.6 WAR
• Dominic Smith, 1B (free agent): 1.1 WAR
• Trevor Williams, SP (free agent): 0.9 WAR
• Corey Dickerson, OF (free agent): 0.6 WAR
• Stone Garrett, OF (free agent): 0.4 WAR

Total Projected WAR Added (per Fangraphs): 4.6 WAR

Subtractions:

• César Hernández, 2B/OF: 0.5 WAR
• Erick Fedde, SP: 0.4 WAR
• Anibal Sánchez, SP: -0.2 WAR
• Luke Voit, 1B: -0.3 WAR
• Steve Cishek, RP: -0.3 WAR
• Nelson Cruz, DH: -0.8 WAR

Total WAR Subtracted (per Fangraphs): -0.7

Net WAR Added/Subtracted: 5.3 WAR

Summary

• Nationals: +5.3 WAR
• Marlins: +3.9 WAR
• Mets: +2.6 WAR
• Phillies: -0.9 WAR
• Braves: -6.6 WAR

Final Thoughts

As you can see, it was a busy off-season for several teams in the NL East. The division added some new stars in the likes of Trea Turner, Justin Verlander, Sean Murphy, and Luis Arráez. The division also saw the departure of some familiar faces in Jacob deGrom, Dansby Swanson, Miguel Rojas, Pablo López, and Zach Eflin. Regardless, expect the competition to be at an all-time high.

Loose projections have the lowly Nationals being the ‘most improved,’ with the Marlins right behind them. It appears Fangraphs also likes what the Mets did this off-season, showing a net improvement.

As for the Braves, despite adding Sean Murphy, overall, they did not add a lot and lost the likes of Dansby Swanson, William Contreras, and Kenley Jansen all depart. Thus, a potential for some regression this upcoming season. Lastly, despite adding superstar Trea Turner, the Phillies lost a decent number of depth producers (Segura, Eflin, Maton, Syndergaard, etc.) resulting in a lackluster overall value being added.

Despite all this, projections are only that. Only time will tell how all these off-season moves pay off for the each team. Certainly an exciting season in the making, nonetheless.

The post Analyzing The Off-Seasons Of Each National League East Team appeared first on Metsmerized.

Credit: Dale Zanine – USA TODAY

The Mets enter the 2022 off-season in dire need of bullpen help. Edwin Díaz, Adam Ottavino, Seth Lugo, Trevor May, Joely Rodríguez, Tommy Hunter, and Trevor Williams will all be free agents. In total, those seven pitchers recorded 379 1/3 innings for the Mets last season.

With the goal of competing in 2023, the Mets will have to build their pen from the plethora of options on the free-agent market. Below I have analyzed the most viable options for the Mets heading into the off-season.

Edwin Díaz

Díaz recorded one of the most dominant seasons as a closer in 2022. He struck out 50.2% of the batters he faced, pitched to a 1.31 ERA, and saved 32 out of 35 save opportunities. The Mets have stated their strong interest in re-signing Díaz and are not afraid to hand out the largest contract ever given to a closer.

Adam Ottavino

Ottavino looked vintage in 2022 and held down the eighth inning for the Mets. He cut down his walks per nine from 5.1 in 2021 to 2.2 in 2022 and recorded a WHIP under 1 for the first time since 2018.

Taylor Rogers

Taylor Rogers struggled after the all-star break once he was traded to the Brewers. He pitched to a 5.48 ERA in Milwaukee and walked 10 batters in 23 innings pitched. However, the left-hander struck out 14.1 batters per nine with the Brewers and was an all-star in 2021.

David Robertson

David Robertson continues to be a dominant reliever at 37 and was an instrumental piece in the Phillies play-off run. He pitched to a 2.40 ERA in 63 2/3 innings in the regular season and struck out 11.5 batters per nine.

Rafael Montero

Add old friend Rafael Montero to the list of pitchers that the Houston Astros have fixed over the last five years. In 2022, he pitched to a 2.37 ERA in 68 1/3 innings and held batters to a slash line of .193/.268/.267/.535.

Michael Fulmer

Michael Fulmer was relegated to the bullpen in 2021 after he struggled with injury and poor performance as a starter. Although he has been better as a reliever, Fulmer’s numbers are not eye popping. In 133 1/3 innings as a reliever, Fulmer has a 1.320 WHIP and 3.17 ERA.

Corey Knebel

Corey Knebel signed a one-year deal with the Phillies in 2022 after reviving his career with the Dodgers the year prior. He struggled in the earlier portion of the season and lost his closers role after blowing four saves in 16 opportunities. Overall, Knebel took a step back in 2022, finishing with a 8.3 SO/9, 1.366 WHIP, and 4.46 FIP.

Kenley Jansen

Kenley Jansen stepped into the Braves closer role last season and proved to be reliable. While he gave up 1.1 home runs per nine innings, he led the National League with 41 saves and 51 games finished. Jansen also finished with a respectable 3.38 ERA.

Seth Lugo

Lugo was a bulldog for the Mets in 2022 and pitched 65 innings last season. While Lugo finished with an average 3.50 ERA in 2022, his SO/9 have gone down every year since 2019.

Robert Suarez

Robert Suarez made his MLB debut in 2022 after spending seven years between the Mexican League and NPB in Japan. He pitched to a 2.27 ERA and struck out 11.5 batters per nine over 44 2/3 innings. While he is 31, Suarez will be a hot commodity in the off season.

Brad Hand

Brad Hand proved last season that his short stint with the Mets in 2021 was not a fluke. He pitched to a 2.80 ERA and allowed only two home runs in 45 innings pitched. Hand will be targeted by many clubs this off-season due to the limited amount of left handers available.

Chris Martin

Chris Martin flourished after being traded to the Dodgers before the deadline in 2022. In LA, he pitched to a 1.46 ERA and walked one batter in 24 2/3 innings pitched. While Martin is 36, he has been one of the most reliable relievers in baseball. Since 2019, he has pitched in 173 innings and recorded a 144 ERA+.

Trevor May

May’s 2022 season was forgettable as the reliever dealt with injuries and only pitched 25 innings. While May pitched to a 5.04 ERA, his FIP finished at 3.87. Expect a bounce back season from May in 2023.

Matt Strahm

Matt Strahm bounced back with the Red Sox in 2022 after his season was cut short by injury last year. He pitched to a 3.83 ERA in 44 2/3 innings pitched. While Strahm struck out 10.5 batters per nine, he struggled with base runners and recorded a 1.231 WHIP in 2022.

Trevor Williams

Williams was the equivalent of a utility infielder out of the Mets bullpen in 2022. He logged 89 2/3 innings pitched, started nine games, and recorded one save last season. Meanwhile, Williams finished with a 3.21 ERA and 120 OPS+.

Brad Boxberger

Brad Boxberger finished another great year with the Brewers and recorded consecutive seasons of 64 innings pitched. While his 2.95 ERA was better in 2022, his 9.6 SO/9 and 1.234 WHIP were worse.

Will Smith

Will Smith revitalized his 2022 season after being traded to the Astros. After allowing seven home runs in 37 innings with the Braves, Smith pitched to a 3.27 ERA in Houston and allowed two home runs in 22 innings. Smith has been one of the most consistent left handed relievers since 2018 and has pitched to a 3.27 ERA over 261 1/3 innings.

The post Analyzing the 2023 Relief Pitching Free Agent Market appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Mets’ biggest need this offseason is pitching.

Jacob deGrom will opt out of his deal, Chris Bassitt will likely decline his 2023 option, Taijuan Walker will do the same, and the bullpen will likely see above 50% turnover with Edwin Diaz, Seth Lugo, Trevor May, Mychal Givens and others all entering free agency.

So who is available for the Mets to sign? We’ll do more in-depth looks into many of these options in upcoming free agent profiles, but for now, let’s take a look at some names that will hit the market when the World Series ends.

Top Tier

Jacob deGrom

Yes. Whatever the question is, yes.

Despite injuries that held deGrom out for a whole year between 2021 and 2022, he’s still the best pitcher in baseball when healthy (which he’s been for the most part of his career). He’ll be the best free agent pitcher on the market.

Justin Verlander

He’ll be 40 before the 2023 starts, but he also is probably going to win the 2023 AL Cy Young Award. Some team is going to give him Max Scherzer-level money for a season or two.

Clayton Kershaw

He’ll likely be a Dodger for life, especially after opting to not sign with his hometown Texas Rangers in the 2022 offseason when reports indicated he might. But he should also get a high average annual value deal after posting a 2.28 ERA (2.57 FIP) over 126.1 innings. Will the Dodgers give him a raise from the $17 million he earned this year?

Solid No. 2s and 3s

Chris Bassitt

The Mets saw first-hand Bassitt’s ability to carry a rotation for weeks at a time. He threw more innings in 2022 than he had in any other season in his career. Despite showing some fatigue (understandably) in the final weeks of the season, he shown durability over the past four seasons.

He’s a perfect compliment to guys like deGrom and Scherzer, and teams will likely pay Bassitt as a quality No. 2 or 3.

Nathan Eovaldi

Eovaldi has anchored the Red Sox’s makeshift rotation over the last four seasons, living up to his $64 million contract after his heroic 2018 World Series performance. Though he’s largely stepped up as a No. 1 over the last three years, he’s probably more of a middle-of-the-rotation guy at this point in his career.

Potential No. 2s and 3s

Mike Clevinger

Clevinger missed all of 2021 with Tommy John surgery, but he returned in May, making 22 starts and one relief appearance the rest of the way. His 4.33 ERA (4.98 FIP) is over a full point higher than his tenure in Cleveland, but he has shown flashes in his old self as he still recovers. At his peak, he can be a No. 2 starter. However, he’ll probably have to take on a short-term deal to prove he can reach that level again.

Tyler Anderson

Anderson resurrected his career with the Dodgers, relying on his fastball and changeup to pitch to a 2.57 ERA (3.31 FIP). He halved his home run numbers, and if he can repeat years like this one, a team could have a solid mid-rotation guy into his mid-30s.

Noah Syndergaard

Recovering from Tommy John, Syndergaard has transformed into less of a power strikeout pitcher and more of a ground ball pitcher who generate a lot of contact. Still, he pitched to a 4.12 ERA (3.66 FIP) over 24 starts and one relief appearance with the Angels and Phillies. It was his first full season since 2019, and at 30 years old, he has plenty of time and potential to find success at the top of someone’s rotation.

Taijuan Walker

Walker has had great first halves of the last two seasons, earning All-Star nods both years. He regressed afterward, though his 2022 second half was far better than the 2021 second half. As he continues to build stamina (as he seemingly learned how to push through a wall this season), Walker can be a great middle-of-the-rotation guy if he can pitch anywhere close to his first two halves of 2021 and 2022.

Jose Quintana

Quintana, similar to many on this list, righted the ship this season after multiple rocky years. He pitched great for the Pirates to start the year on a $2 million contract, and he pitched even better once he was traded to the Cardinals (2.01 ERA, 2.60 FIP). He’ll be 34 next season, and if he can sustain close to what he did this year, he can really add depth to a rotation.

Will They Opt Out?

Carlos Rodón

Another guy with durability concerns, Rodón has made it through the last two season without any major injuries. (He bounced back from late season shoulder troubles in 2021 with sustained velocity in the playoffs.) He’ll likely opt out of his $22.5 million player option for 2023, and he’ll hit the market with 310.2 innings under his belt. Someone’s going to pay him big money over multiple years.

Chris Sale

Similar to deGrom, Sale has an option to opt out of the two years and $55 million in his contract. Also similarly to deGrom, Sale has spent much of the last three seasons injured. Conversely to deGrom, though, Sale hasn’t been able to come back from those injuries and sustain for any time. After Tommy John surgery in 2020, he returned in August 2021 and made nine starts the rest of the year. He then missed most of the start of 2022 due to a rib fracture sustained while throwing, then he broke his finger on a comebacker in his second start back in July.

Will someone guarantee him more than $55 million on the open market after just 11 starts in three years? Sale will soon have to decide if he’ll take that risk

Sonny Gray

The Twins have a $12.7 million team option in Gray’s last year of his contract. While stranger things have happened, the team likely won’t decline the option despite an injury-filled seasons where he still managed a 3.08 ERA (3.41 FIP) in 119.2 innings.

Back-end Starters

Kyle Gibson

Gibson was dealt from the Rangers to the Phillies in the middle of 2021 after a hot start to the season with Texas. However, the now-34-year-old regressed to his career numbers, posting a 5.06 ERA (4.21 FIP) over his time with the Phils. He can be a solid option to man the back-end of a rotation with a good defensive behind him.

Carlos Carrasco

At this stage of his career, Cookie is a back-of-the-rotation pitcher, as the Mets saw in 2022. Finally healthy after a tumultuous 2021, Carrasco had some great starts against bad teams, some rocky starts against good ones, and plenty of ups and down in between. The Mets can pick up his 2023 option for $13 million, but if they don’t, they can still try to work out a more team-friendly contract over multiple years.

Sean Manaea

After the Mets almost traded for Manaea before the season (they nabbed Bassitt from Oakland instead), Manaea made 28 starts for the Padres with an ERA that boarded 5.00. Now that teams don’t have to give up capital for him, more teams could be interested in his services.

Wade Miley

After the Reds surprisingly waived Miley in November 2021 offseason after a great season, the Cubs quickly picked him up. He only made eight starts for the team, though, because a shoulder injury derailed his season. He’s a high risk, high reward play at this stage of his career.

Michael Wacha

The old Brodie van Waganen signee made his way to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2021 then the Boston Red Sox in 2022, improving each year after leaving the Mets. He had a great first five months of the 2022 season, then he got shellacked in September. He still proved enough last season to be someone’s No. 4 or 5 next year.

Jameson Taillon

Taillon amassed 320 innings with the Yankees over the last two years, pitching to a modest 4.08 ERA in Yankee Stadium. He’ll be 31 next year, and he’s shown some level of reliability as an average pitcher. He has exactly a 100 ERA+ each of the last two seasons.

The post Analyzing the 2023 Starting Pitching Free Agent Market appeared first on Metsmerized.

Photo by Chris Simon

Citi Field was rocking on Saturday night when Edwin Díaz got the early call to relieve Jacob deGrom in the seventh inning. Behind three ground-outs, Díaz held the Mets then 3-2 lead and went back to the dugout to await his second inning of work. The Mets’ offense, however, exploded in the bottom half of the seventh and Díaz sat for 46 minutes while his team scored five runs to pad the New York lead to 7-2.

Staked to a five-run lead and six outs away from a potential Game 3 on Sunday, Buck Showalter opted to go back to his closer, who had thrown 19 pitches the prior inning, for a consecutive inning of work. Díaz rewarded his manager and retired two more batters before being pulled from Game 2.

Now, with only four outs away from glory, Showalter demonstrated he was not taking anything for granted and called upon Adam Ottavino the finish the game. However, the usually reliable reliever was not able to lock down the game for New York and got into a bases-loaded jam. After walking in a run and bringing the tying run to the plate, Seth Lugo came into the game to retire Josh Bell and secure Game 2 for the Mets.

Besides the blip from Ottavin0, the Mets’ bullpen has been lights out in the National League Wild Card Series. In Game 1, Trevor May, Lugo, David Peterson, and Mychal Givens did allow a run in a combined 4 2/3 innings of work. Game 2 was more or less the same story and Díaz, Ottavino, and Lugo combined for three innings and never surrendered the lead.

However, due to the managing of the bullpen in Game 2, Showalter will have his back against the wall with his relievers in Game 3. Díaz threw 28 pitches for five outs in Game 2 and never pitched in consecutive games in 2022 after working multiple innings. Lugo and Ottavino are questionable to be available in Game 3 due to Lugo working two consecutive nights and Ottavino throwing 35 pitches on Saturday.

With Joely Rodríguez on the injured list for the remainder of this series and potentially the NLDS, Showalter is left with Drew Smith, May, Peterson, Givens, and Tylor Megill as options to get the ball to Díaz. Despite it not going well in the past, Lugo may be available as well.

While Smith, May, and Givens all had reliable Septembers, none of them have been consistent in high leverage spots this season for the Mets. Peterson looked comfortable out the bullpen in September and can provide long relief in the worst case scenario in Game 3, but he is the Mets only left handed reliever and will most likely be used as a specialist. Megill, on the other hand, has struggled mightily since joining the Mets’ bullpen and gave up four earned runs in six innings this season. It would be shocking to see Megill in any scenario in Game 3.

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

If all goes right for the Showalter and the Mets in Game 3, Chris Bassitt will provide length and eat most of the innings himself. Bassitt faced the Padres twice this season and the starts were drastically different. In San Diego, Bassitt lasted only 3 1/3 innings and gave up seven earned runs. Meanwhile, at Citi Field against the Padres, Bassitt struck out a season high 11 batters and gave up one run over seven innings of work.

If Bassitt can go six, or seven innings, it would set the Mets’ bullpen up for success. Regardless, expect Drew Smith to play a pivotal role, as he is the most rested of the bunch. Certainly, a situation to monitor.

The post Analyzing The Mets Bullpen Situation Headed Into Game 3 appeared first on Metsmerized.