It was hoped that the Mets’ day off on Thursday would allow the Mets to regroup from a two-game series loss to the Red Sox on Tuesday and Wednesday, but the Mets’ offense continued to stay quiet, negating another strong pitching performance, this one by starter Marcus Stroman, who left the game with an apparent hamstring injury.

The Mets fell to the Phillies 2-1 even though they out-hit their NL East rivals. (box score)

Chase Anderson (1-3) was credited with the win for the Phillies (13-13), and Marcus Stroman (3-2) took the loss for the Mets, who fall to 9-11.  Sam Coonrod (1) collected his first save of the season for the Phillies.

The Mets scored just one run on six hits and one error. The Phillies collected two runs on three hits and no errors. Their two runs came on a pass ball by Mets catcher James McCann in the second.

Pitching

Marcus Stroman took the ball for the Mets on Friday to kick off a 7-game road trip that starts with three games in Philadelphia. Stroman threw five strong innings, giving up just three hits, two runs (none earned), and a walk. He struck out eight over the course of 64 pitches thrown (47 strikes) on Friday.

Stroman would have a rocky second inning, giving up two singles and a walk, but he would strike out three (two after the second single and walk) to get out of the inning in true Stroman fashion.

He would settle down in the third inning, striking out the side to quickly bring the Mets back to the plate after throwing just 13 pitches in the third. He would then strike out two in the fourth. Stroman’s night would end after the fifth inning.  He was relieved by Aaron Loup in the sixth, who struck out two in a hitless inning for the Mets. Stroman left the game with an apparent hamstring injury.

Loup was then relieved by Jeurys Familia in the seventh inning. Familia had a rough seventh inning, giving up two walks and having to make up for a Mets fielding error by Alonso at first base. He would get out of the inning with a big strikeout of Andrew McCutchen.

Right-handed pitcher Miguel Castro replaced Jeurys Familia on the mound for the Mets in the eighth.

Offense

Slow offense is something that Mets fans are being forced to unfortunately get used to, and the theme was similar on Friday night. The Mets drove in just one run over six hits against the Phillies

In the top of the second, Michael Conforto walked as the second batter of the night and then J.D. Davis singled to left field. The Mets would have two on with one out, but would not be able to produce with a runner in scoring position as Dominic Smith popped out and James McCann flied out to end the top of the second inning.

The Phillies would strike first in the second, with Brad Miller and Andrew Knapp scoring on a passed ball by James McCann with two outs.

Marcus Stroman led off the third inning with a double to left field, adding some offensive pop to a strong outing on the mound. Later in the inning Jeff McNeil  walked to put two-on with two outs, but Alonso would come up and strikeout to end the inning.

The only offense produced in the fourth inning for the Mets was a one-out double by J.D. Davis for his second hit of the night. He would be 2-2 on the night with his fourth inning double.

Brandon Nimmo hit a one-out double in the fifth after a strikeout by Stroman, but the Mets would continue to struggle with runners in scoring position, leaving Nimmo stranded by a flyout and a groundout.

The top of the sixth is where the Mets got some offensive juices to start flowing. The inning started with a Pete Alonso single to left field, which would knock the Phillies’ Chase Anderson out of the game. He would be relieved by JoJo Romero.

With a runner on, Romero walked Michael Conforto to put runners on first and second. J.D. Davis would follow with a groundout, but would do his job and move Alonso to third and Conforto to second.

Following Davis’ ground out, Dominic Smith singled to left field, scoring Alonso and moving Conforto to third.

That would be all the Mets could muster in the sixth as McCann grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Phillies would then make another pitching change in the seventh. It would be Brandon Kintzler replacing JoJo Romero. Kintzler would strike out two in a perfect inning for the Philllies as he sat down Jonathan Villar, Nimmo and Lindor in order.

In the eighth inning, the Mets would again continue to struggle with runners in scoring position. Jeff McNeil was hit by a pitch and Jose Alvarado intentionally walked J.D. Davis to put two runners on. A wild pitch by Alvarado following the intentional walk would move McNeil to third and Davis to second. However, Dominic Smith would come up and strikeout to end the inning and move the game to the bottom of the eighth with the Mets still trailing the Phillies 2-1 in the eighth.

The Mets would show some life in the ninth inning. It started with a two-out walk by Brandon Nimmo.  Francisco Lindor would then ground out. He was 0-5 on the night and is batting under .200 on the season as his slow start continues.

It was a rough night for the Mets offense. As mentioned above, scoring with runners in scoring position is a challenge for the Mets. They were just 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position on Friday night.

The Mets’ defensive woes continued on Friday night. James McCann had a rough night behind the plate, giving up two runs on a passed ball in the second inning. In the eighth he would over-throw second base, but it would end up not costing the Mets as they were able to get out of the inning.

Pete Alonso also suffered an error at first on Friday night. The Mets just can’t get into a groove offensively or defensively. The defensive struggles are something that Luis Rojas has said needs to improve, but the Mets continue to find themselves in a slump at the plate and in the field.

On Deck

The Mets closed the month of April on a rough note. They will look to turn the page in May as they continue their series against the Phillies in Philadelphia on Saturday at 6:05 PM EDT. It will be Taijuan Walker (1-1, 2.14 ERA) taking the mound for the Mets against Zack Wheeler (2-2, 3.13 ERA) for the Phillies.

The Mets and their fans are sure happy the month of April is over. The hope is that May will be magic for the Mets as they look to turn things around and get back on track.

The post Mets Fall to Phils, 2-1, Despite Stroman’s Strong Start appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Photo by Allen Greene Photography

Good morning, Mets fans!

We received great news yesterday as governor Andrew Cuomo announced that New York arenas can now host fans at 10% capacity starting on Feb. 23.

Let’s take a look at what went on surrounding the Amazins’ and MLB on Wednesday.

Latest Mets News

The Mets acquired outfield prospect Khalil Lee in a three-team trade that saw the Boston Red Sox send outfielder Andrew Benintendi to the Kansas Royals, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan. As MLB Insider Jon Heyman later reported, Josh Winckowski one of the pitchers the Mets recently acquired in the Steven Matz trade, is the player they are sending to the Red Sox.

As Joel Sherman of The New York Post noted afterwards, the Mets will also send a player to be named later in the trade.

The Mets have remained in contact with free-agent left-handed reliever Justin Wilson, per Pat Ragazzo of Metsmerized.

As Mike Mayer reported last night, things are picking up for the Mets on the trade market as they are looking to upgrade at third base and in their rotation.

According to Mike Puma of The New York Post, one road block the Mets have had in trade talks with the Cubs and Reds has been that both teams have asked for No. 2 prospect Francisco Alvarez.

The Mets opened up their mass vaccination site at Citi Field on Wednesday, photos from SNY’s Steve Gelbs.

Newly signed center fielder Albert Almora‘s deal is worth 1.25 million, plus an additional $100,000 each for 200, 250 and 300 plate appearances, per MLB Insider Jon Heyman.

In order to make room for Almora on the 40-man roster, the Mets have designated pitcher Corey Oswalt for assignment, tweet from Mayer.

According to SNY’s Andy Martino, rival teams say the Mets have been trying to move the contracts of Jeurys Familia and Dellin Betances this offseason.

First baseman / outfielder Dominic Smith was ranked No. 67 on MLB Network’s top 100 list after a breakout 2020 campaign.

Tim Britton of The Athletic breaks down the Mets roster projection for the 2021 season.

Latest MLB News

According to Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media, there have been no negotiations between the Yankees and free-agent outfielder Brett Gardner about a reunion.

Free-agent closer David Robertson‘s showcase at The University of Alabama is set for later today, per Heyman.

The Oakland Athletics signed Jed Lowrie to a minor league deal, per Fansided’s Robert Murray.

According to Baseball America, minor league baseball spent their merchandise revenue plus took out a loan of $500,000 and the owners are reportedly not happy.

The Boston Red Sox have invited top prospects Triston Casas, Jeter Downs and Jarren Duran to spring training, per MLB Insider Chris Cotillo.

Latest NL East News

The Philadelphia Phillies signed relief pitcher Brandon Kintzler to a $3 million deal with $1 million in incentives, tweet from Heyman.

Adam Duvall‘s contract with the Miami Marlins is for one-year, $5 million, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.

Latest on MMO

Rob Piersall spoke with former Met Chasen Bradford, who’s looking to catch on with an MLB team this spring.

Jacob deGrom is the Draft Kings’ favorite to win the Cy Young this season at +500 odds, story by Ryan Finkelstein.

The Mets are interested in pitchers Jake Arrieta and James Paxton — Thomas Hall discussed whether the Mets should take a shot on Arrieta.

On This Date in Mets History

1987: Ray Knight signed a two-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles.

Birthdays: Tom Veryzer (68), Steve Springer (60), Brian Daubach (49)

Let’s go Mets!

The post Morning Briefing: Trade Market Heating Up For Mets appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Unlike the last couple of offseasons, most of the free agent top-end talent is gone in early January this time around. Both the starting pitching and relief market have been thoroughly picked over and the market for a catcher is now slim pickings.

The strongest market left is right-handed hitters with multiple options that play different positions. When those names drop, maybe we will finally see some of the rumored names via trade – Nolan Arenado, Francisco Lindor, Mookie Betts, Kris Bryant – get dealt.

Let’s take a look at what’s left in the free agent market starting with players in MLB Trade Rumors Top 50.

No. 5 Josh Donaldson – 3B

The Twins, Braves, and Nationals have all been reported to have a four-year deal in the $100 million range for Donaldson coming off a 6 WAR season.

No. 8 Nicholas Castellanos – RF

The 27-year-old is looking at a nice contract coming off a strong .289/.337/.525 season between the Cubs and Tigers. Rangers are currently seen as the frontrunner, though the Giants and Reds have been connected as well.

No. 11 Marcell Ozuna – OF

Cardinals look like a perfect fit for Ozuna after they traded outfielders Jose Martinez and Randy Arozarena on Thursday night to the Rays. The Reds and Rangers have also shown interest in the 29-year-old.

No. 37 Yasiel Puig – OF

Puig could be a cheaper fallback option for the team that loses out on Castellanos and Ozuna. The Marlins did meet with Puig during the Winter Meetings.

No. 39 Alex Wood – LHP

There’s been no rumors about the Wood after he posted an awful 5.80 ERA in only 35 innings last year for the Reds. However, he will turn only 29 on Sunday and had a 3.20 ERA in 304 inning for the Dodgers in 2017 and 2018 combined.

No. 41 Brock Holt – UT

The left-handed hitter has posted 109 wRC+ and 103 wRC+ the past two seasons while playing six different positions. He would make sense for a ton of teams, though the Sox signed Jose Peraza to fill his role.

No. 48 Ivan Nova – RHP

Nova has been durable over the last four seasons with 697 innings pitched in 126 games, but he had a 4.72 ERA, 4.98 FIP, and 1.46 WHIP in 2019. His 5.49 K/9 was the second lowest among qualified starters.

No. 49 Pedro Strop – RHP

One of the best relievers on the market despite pitching to a 4.97 ERA for the Cubs in 2019. He was able to still strikeout 49 batters in 41 innings and allowed only 33 hits. He had a 2.90 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in seven seasons with the Cubs.

No. 50 Drew Smyly – LHP

Pitching in the majors for the first time since 2016, Smyly had a 6.24 ERA (4.45 in second half with Phillies) in 114 innings last season. He allowed a whopping 32 home runs in that span.

The best of the rest includes INF Todd Frazier, RHP Brandon Kintzler, UT Ben Zobrist, C Russell Martin, OF Hunter Pence, INF Wilmer Flores, OF Alex Gordon, OF Cameron Maybin, Of Kevin Pillar, RHP Andrew Cashner, RHP Matt Harvey, RHP Felix Hernandez, RHP Aaron Sanchez, RHP Taijuan Walker, RHP Collin McHugh, and LHP Francisco Liriano.

The post What’s Left in the Free Agent Market appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Brandon Kintzler, Relief Pitcher

Bats/Throws: Right/Right
Age: August 1, 1984 (35)

Traditional Stats: 62 G, 57 IP, 2.68 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 48 K, 3.69 K/BB, 0.8 HR/9
Advanced Stats: 0.9 fWAR, 1.7 bWAR, 3.56 FIP, 166 ERA+, .236 XBA, .387 XSLG, .286 XWOBA, 42% hard-hit rate

Brandon Kintzler‘s 10-year MLB career has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride, complete with thrilling heights and devastating falls.

After bouncing between Milwaukee and the minor leagues over his first three seasons to mediocre results (2010 to 2012; 4.42 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 38.2 innings/30 appearances), the Nevada product enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2013.

Over 71 appearances (77 innings) for the Brewers that season, the right-hander spun a 2.69 ERA (2.54 FIP) with 58 strikeouts, 16 walks, and 1.07 WHIP, and experienced similar success in 2014 (3.24 ERA over 58.1 IP).

Following a lost season in 2015 (left patella tendinitis; seven appearances, seven innings, five earned runs allowed), Kintzler signed a minor league deal with the Minnesota Twins ahead of the 2016 season.

A 3.15 ERA over 54 appearances secured him the Twinkies’ closer job midway through 2016, evicting temporary resident Kevin Jepsen from the role, and a 2.78 ERA over his first 45 games in 2017 earned him his first All-Star nod, as well as a one-way ticket to Washington, DC at the trade deadline a couple of weeks later.

His 3.46 ERA down the stretch for the Nats that season (27 appearances) afforded him a two-year, $10 million deal to return to Washington that offseason, which he accepted, but did not play out in the nation’s capital.

The Nationals — 52-53, 5.5 games back of the NL East-leading Phillies at the time — flipped Kintzler (3.59 ERA, 31 K, 13 BB over 45 games) to the Cubs at the 2018 trade deadline for minor-leaguer Jhon Romero (now 24, pitched to a 6.59 ERA over nine games for Advanced-A Potomac last season), catching the veteran righty off-guard.

Kintzler struggled over the remainder of the 2018 season, allowing 14 earned runs over 18 innings pitched with nine walks, but turned things around considerably for the Cubbies last season.

Over 62 appearances in 2019 (57 innings), Kintzler owned a 2.68 ERA (3.56 FIP) with 48 strikeouts, 13 walks, and 1.02 WHIP. That’s all well and good. Though, a career-high 6.8% barrel rate and 42% hard-hit rate (bottom eight percent of the league, per Statcast) induce slight wariness.

Mostly a sinker-changeup pitcher (68.5 percent and 17.5 percent, respectively), Kintzler found success with both of his primary pitches last season (.231 BAA, .357 SLGA, .273 WOBAA versus sinker; .170 BAA, .319 SLGA, .191 WOBAA versus changeup).

Though, his slider — used just 10.2 percent of the time in 2019 — has the makeup of quite the putaway pitch if he were to go to that well a bit more often. Over 87 offerings (yes, a very small sample) Kintzler’s slide-piece induced a 43.8% whiff rate. That appears to be a weapon.

Contract

Having just played out a two-year, $10 million deal, complete with a sub-3.00 ERA last season, it’s plausible Kintzler could receive a multi-year commitment with a slight bump in salary this time.

Kintzler had an impressive 54.7% groundball rate (20th among qualified MLB relievers last season) and is extremely effective against left-handers (.163/.247/.275 slash against last season), which should bode well during the inaugural run of MLB’s three-batter rule.

Recommendation

As much as the Mets need another quality arm to fill out their talented bullpen, Kintzler’s price tag may fall out of New York’s budget. Roster Resource currently has the Mets’ luxury tax payroll at $207.5 million, just shy of the 2020 competitive balance tax threshold of $208 million.

The offseason is far from over and general manager Brodie Van Wagenen still has time to shed, say, Jed Lowrie‘s contract in order to free up some cash. But unless that’s the case or Kintzler is willing to heavily backload his contract (both realistic possibilities, mind you), the Mets may have to look elsewhere for relief depth.

The post MMO Free Agent Profile: Brandon Kintzler, RHP appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Good morning Mets fans! The New York Mets (44-62) dropped the opening contest of their four-game series with the Atlanta Braves (58-47) last night by a score of 4-2. Jason Vargas (2-7, 8.23 ERA) failed to go more than five innings for his 11th start in a row and gave up all four of the Braves’ runs. A perfect four innings from the bullpen couldn’t help lift the Mets past the Braves due to Vargas’ shaky outing and a quiet day from the offense.

Latest Mets News

Jacob deGrom (5-6, 1.82 ERA) will face off against Anibal Sanchez (5-3, 3.00 ERA) tonight as he looks to get his sixth win and thus bring his pitching record back to an even .500 for the season. The game will begin at 7:10 p.m. EDT and can be viewed on SNY and heard on 710 WOR.

Todd Frazier came off the disabled list yesterday and went 0-for-4 in his first game back.

Bobby Wahl, whom the Mets acquired in the Jeurys Familia trade was called up yesterday and retired his two batters faced in his Mets debut.

Phillip Evans was placed on the disabled list and Jacob Rhame was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas to make room for Frazier and Wahl.

Keith Law of ESPN spoke about the Mets’ farm system on Wednesday and talked about how it’s improving in comparison to last season. He added,  “I know #lolmets is a thing because of the ownership situation but the outlook from their farm system is not bleak.”

Steven Matz‘s MRI results showed no structural damage according to Jon Heyman of Fredcred Sports. However, assistant general manager John Ricco announced on Thursday that the 27-year-old has a mild flexor-pronator strain in his left pitching arm and is likely to miss at least one start.

Ricco discussed David Wright who has been working out, but has no timetable in place to play minor league rehab games. He also mentioned that Peter Alonso will likely spend the rest of the season in Triple-A.

Latest MLB News

Dalton Pompey was suspended without pay after having a heated exchanged with Triple-A Buffalo manager Bobby Meacham per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.

The Texas Rangers signed Chris Tillman to a minor league deal according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports.

Rick Ankiel is “toying with” the idea of pitching again after five years since playing in a MLB game and 14 years since pitching in a MLB game according to Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports.

MLB announced its postseason schedule per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. The National League Wild Card game will be on Tuesday, Oct. 2 and the American League Wild Card game will be on Wednesday, Oct. 3. The World Series will begin on Tuesday, Oct. 23 and Game 7 will be played on Wednesday, Oct. 31 if necessary.

Latest NL East News

Greg Joyce of the New York Post mentioned that while Brandon Kintzler was traded, the anonymous source who leaked that the Nationals’ clubhouse “was a mess” is presumably still with the team since Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports helped clear Kintzler’s name.

The Philadelphia Phillies were able to maintain their first-place lead in the National League East thanks to a walk-off home run by Maikel Franco last night.

Latest on MMO/MMN

Michael Mayer looked at the Mets’ poor defense and how it doomed them yet again during Wednesday’s matinee against the Nationals.

John Sheridan continued his “3 Up, 3 Down” series following the Nationals’ two-game sweep over the Mets.

Dilip Sridhar analyzed the Mets’ midseason top prospects from No. 30 to No. 21 according to Mets Minors.

This Day in Mets History

Birthdays: Kevin Elster turns 54 and Mackey Sasser turns 56.

1962: Frank Thomas tied a National League record by hitting his sixth home run in three consecutive games. He would go on to add another homer in the following day’s contest.

The post Morning Briefing: DeGrom Looks For His Sixth Win appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

According to Jon Heyman of Fan Rag Sports, the Washington Nationals have shown interest in signing free agent closer Greg Holland. They also reportedly showed strong interest in Holland last year before he ultimately signed with the Colorado Rockies.

In the first half of 2017, Holland made 35 appearances going 1-1 with 28 saves, a 1.62 ERA, 1.020 WHIP and an 11.6 K/9. On the strength of that first half, Holland was named an All-Star.

Over the final two months, Holland had a 7.38 ERA, 1.368 WHIP and a 9.5 K/9. In that stretch, he was 2-5 and 8/11 in save opportunities. He had similar struggles in the Wild Card game, throwing a wild pitch while allowing two runs on three hits and an intentional walk.

The 32-year-old finished 2017 with a 3.61 ERA, 41 saves, 3.72 FIP, 1.15 WHIP and 2.69 SO/W. He opted out of a player option for 2018 that would have paid him $15 million to stay with the Rockies.

Nationals have already re-signed Brandon Kintzler this offseason while still having fellow 2017 trade deadline acquisitions Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson in the back-end of their bullpen.

The post Nationals Interested in Adding Closer Greg Holland appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Yesterday officially began the Winter Meetings and there was no shortage of buzz during them. Executives talked, rumors swirled, and players signed. Here are just some of the things that went down; some of which may not have dominated the headlines.

MLB News and Notes

Pat Neshek agreed to a two-year, $16.25 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Texas Rangers signed relief pitcher Chris Martin to two-year, $4 million contract. The 31-year-old dominated in Japan the last two years as he carried a 1.12 ERA over 88 innings.

Gordon Beckham agreed to a minor league deal with the Seattle Mariners according to Chris Cotillo of SB Nation.

Multiple teams are interested in trading for Tampa Bay Rays’ closer Alex Colome. They include the St. Louis Cardinals, Colorado Rockies, Chicago Cubs, and New York Mets.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are open to discussing a trade with other teams for Gerrit Cole according to Buster Olney of ESPN.

Josh Bard will be the New York Yankees’ bench coach and Phil Nevin will be their third base coach. Mike Harkey will retain his current role as bullpen coach.

The Yankees are also looking to move Jacoby Ellsbury according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. The 34-year-old is still owed $68 million, but the Yankees appear willing to pay at or around half of that in a potential trade. The bigger hurdle will be getting him to waive his no-trade clause.

Matt Adams is garnering some attention as a free agent after the Atlanta Braves could not find a trade partner for him. The Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Indians, and Washington Nationals have all inquired on him according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.

The Nationals view Adams as a bench bat. Cleveland views him and Lucas Duda as a backup options if they can’t re-sign Carlos Santana.

The Boston Red Sox have alerted other teams that Jackie Bradley Jr. is on the market according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Boston would like to acquire a power bat in return for the center fielder.

The Royals have also let other teams know about available players they are open to trading. Joakim Soria and Jason Hammel are the two names right now.

With relievers like Luke Gregerson and Brandon Morrow off the market, teams who were considering them must go a different direction. Right now at least five teams are monitoring Brandon Kintzler‘s market.

The San Diego Padres are targeting Freddy Galvis to fill their shortstop spot according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.

The Texas Rangers are considering Rene Rivera as a backup catcher.

The post MLB Roundup: No Shortage Of Buzz At Winter Meetings appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

We saw it at the forefront this season. The Mets stripped down their team and traded their impending free agents for young arms.

New York’s bullpen was one of the team’s biggest weaknesses in 2017, but according to Mike Puma of the New York Post, the Amazin’s biggest priority this offseason will be bolstering their relief corps.

Puma opines that while the Mets will likely steer clear of big arms such as Wade Davis and Greg Holland, there are still many quality arms the team can target to complement Jerry Blevins, AJ Ramos and Jeurys Familia for 2018.

Some names Puma highlights are Bryan Shaw, Brandon Morrow, Luke Gregerson, Matt Albers, Brandon Kintzler, Mike Minor and Addison Reed.

Shaw, 30, could be the most appealing name to the Mets and new skipper Mickey Callaway. The right-hander pitched five seasons under Callaway’s regime in Cleveland, where he registered a 21-22 record with a 3.11 ERA, 3.45 FIP, 1.188 WHIP and 8.4 K/9 in 358.2 innings pitched.

The 33-year-old Morrow was frequently used for the Dodgers in this year’s World Series — in all seven games in fact. He had a very strong year for Los Angeles, recording a 6-0 record with a 2.06 ERA in 45 games (43.2 innings).

Oppositely, Gregerson pitched for the champion Houston Astros in 2017. He logged a 2-3 record with a 4.57 ERA, 4.62 FIP, 1.344 WHIP and 10.3 K/9 in 65 games (61 innings) this year.

Albers, 35 next season, had a strong campaign with the rival Washington Nationals in 2017, pitching to a 7-2 record with a 1.62 ERA in 63 outings. He also had a 3.40 FIP, 0.852 WHIP and 9.3 K/9.

Puma mentions Brandon Kintzler as another name for the Mets to consider. The 33-year-old appeared in his first All-Star game in 2017 with the Minnesota Twins but was later traded to the Nats. Between the two teams, he had a 4-3 record with a 3.03 ERA in 72 games pitched.

Minor, 29, pitched for the first time since 2014 this season and had a splendid year for the Kansas City Royals. He went 6-6 out of the bullpen with a 2.55 ERA, 2.62 FIP and 1.017 WHIP in 66 appearances.

Lastly, who could forger about the contributions Addison Reed gifted the Mets in parts of three seasons with the Mets? In a bullpen that was in shambles in 2017, he rose like a Phoenix from the ashes and provided some stability for the team. After Jeurys Familia was sidelined for a majority of the season, Reed held it down and shut the door for the Mets night after night.

Bringing him back would do wonders to the backend of the bullpen, but if he is seeking a multi year contract, it doesn’t seem like the team will do it. General manager Sandy Alderson has a history of not doling out big deals to relievers. But with Reed, who has proven he can pitch in New York, it might be taken into consideration.

The post Mets Top Priority Is Bolstering Bullpen appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Mets will try to win the series against the Colorado Rockies and will send the Rafael Montero to the mound to face German Marquez. The game starts at 3:10 P.M. and will be aired on SNY.

Last night, the Mets got off to a rocky start as Chris Flexen imploded in the third inning and allowed five runs to put the Mets down 5-0 early. Flexen lasted only the three innings.

The Mets started a comeback in the fourth and fifth to make the game 5-4 which included Jay Bruce‘s 29th home run of the season. Amed Rosario also recorded his first triple on a ball a fan interfered on as well as his first Mets RBI.

They took over in the sixth though and would score six runs with a Curtis Granderson three-run homer being the highlight of the inning to give the Mets a 10-5 lead.

The Mets bullpen pitched six scoreless innings split between Chasen Bradford (who got the win), Fernando Salas, Paul Sewald, and AJ Ramos to secure the victory.

Latest Mets News

John Ricco announced that David Wright resumed baseball activities yesterday in Port St. Lucie. He did not offer any timetable for his return to the Mets, however.

Jeurys Familia threw a bullpen session yesterday for the first time since going on the DL in May.

Josh Edgin, who was DFA’d on Saturday, cleared waivers last night.

Yu Darvish is slated to make his Los Angeles Dodgers debut at Citi Field on tomorrow against Jacob deGrom.

David Peterson is set to make his professional baseball debut on tomorrow as well for the Brooklyn Cyclones.

Latest NL East News 

Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post writes about the Nationals decision to option Erick Fedde along with Sammy Solis to make room for A.J. Cole and the newly acquired Brandon Kintzler.

Gabriel Burns of The Atlanta Journal- Constitution talks about Ozzie Albies‘ debut on Tuesday.

Patrick Pinak of MLB.com says that J.T. Riddle will miss the rest of the season because of shoulder surgery while also mentioning three Marlins currently on the DL and where they are in their rehab.

The Philadelphia Phillies have decided to no longer induct Pete Rose into the “Wall of Fame” in light of the recent allegations that have surfaced, according to the USA Today.

Latest on MMO

Logan Barer examines the late interest that emerged at the trade deadline in Neil Walker.

Barer also talks about the Fifth Disability Dream and Do Event hosted by the Binghamton Rumble Ponies last Saturday.

William Botchway opines that their is no need to panic about the Mets lack of activity at the trade deadline.

This Day in Mets History

1976: Ed Kranepool becomes the first Met to hit 100 home runs in a career.

1983: George Foster records his 1,000th career RBI on a double that scores Mookie Wilson.

2015: The Mets take back first place from the Nationals after beating the Miami Marlins following a sweep of the Nationals the day prior.

Birthdays: Kevin Elster turns 53 and Mackey Sasser turns 55.

The post Morning Briefing: Wright Resumes Baseball Activities, Edgin Cleared Waivers appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

The Nationals acquired Twins closer Brandon Kintzler before this afternoon’s non-waiver trade deadline, according to Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post.

Kintzler, 32, is having his best season yet in his first as a full-time closer. He has appeared in 45 games for Minnesota, saving 28 and leading the AL in games finished with 41. His ERA is 2.78, his best since 2013. Kintzler made his first All-Star team this year. He will become a free agent at the end of the season.

In exchange, the Nationals will be sending back left-handed pitching prospect Tyler Watson, reports FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman. Watson was ranked as the Nationals’ 27th-best prospect heading into this season. Currently pitching for Washington’s South Atlantic League affiliate, he is 6-4 with a 4.35 ERA in 93 innings spread over 18 appearances. He has struck out 9.5 batters per nine innings and walked 2.3.

The Nationals have been struggling late in games all year. Their bullpen has a combined 5.07 ERA, 29th in baseball. While their xFIP indicates that perhaps they have underperformed their peripherals, they will surely appreciate the added help in late innings come playoff time.

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