Each and every offseason, the common refrain is the Mets are in need of an additional left-handed reliever in the bullpen. Mostly, it is a call for the Mets to add a second left-handed pitcher, but this offseason it is more of a need to add a primary left-handed reliever. Time and again, this call misses the mark because what the team needs, what any team needs, is good relievers regarded of handedness.

While not axiomatic, the 2015 Mets who went to the World Series are a good example of this. Their left-handed reliever situation was a mess. Jerry Blevins injured himself early in the year, and then he would injure himself again. Alex Torres was terrible until he was finally released. They took a flyer on Eric O’Flaherty late in the year, and he was worse than Torres. Their one left-handed pitcher who made the full season was Sean Gilmartin, who was the long man in the bullpen, and he actually had reverse splits.

The reason why the Mets were able to make it work was that the team had right-handed relievers who pitched well against left-handed pitching. In fact, if you just looked at the splits and ignored the handedness of the pitchers, you would believe each one of them was actually a LOOGY:

• Jeurys Familia .214/.291/.325
• Hansel Robles .167/.214/.346
• Erik Goeddel .189/.250/.270
• Logan Verrett .200/.293/.388
• Tyler Clippard .136/.229/.236

When you boil it down, who cares if the pitcher is right-handed, left-handed, or Pat Venditte? The goal is to get batters out, and you want the pitcher most effective at getting those outs on the mound. If you look at the current Mets bullpen, the team has right-handed pitchers who have had success against left-handed hitters:

• Edwin Diaz .172/.275/.287
• Jeurys Familia .256/.338/.371
• Seth Lugo .234/.300/.373

Right there, your three most trusted relievers are pitchers you trust to get left-handed batters out in pressure situations. Delving into their young right-handed power arms, Tyler Bashlor and Eric Hanhold have also posted good numbers against left-handed hitters. This also overlooks Daniel Zamora, who utilized his excellent spin rates to hold left-handed hitters to a .222 batting average against during his brief time in the majors.

Assuming the Mets go with Zamora and one of their young right-handed power arms, the 2019 Mets bullpen will have five pitchers who pitch well against left-handed hitters. Adding another arm to address getting left-handed hitters out is superfluous. Moreover, when you look at how Mickey Callaway uses his bullpen combined with this being an era of increased bullpen use, you really have to question the wisdom of having two of your seven relievers dedicated to getting one batter out a game.

Ultimately, this should be about getting the best relievers you possibly can. If that reliever happens to be left-handed, great. Certainly, someone like a Justin Wilson is good against right and left-handed batters. However, if that guy is Tony Sipp or someone of his ilk, you really have to wonder why this team would limit the manager and tax the better arms in the bullpen to get just two batters out per game. Really, when you break it down, the Mets need better, not more limited, arms.

The post Mets Don’t Need Another Left-Handed Reliever appeared first on Metsmerized.

Good morning, Mets fans, and happy Saturday! Although no major transactions took place yesterday, there are still a few noteworthy developments to take a look at:

Matheny Hired as Special Advisor for Royals

Just a few months removed from an embarrassing dismissal from the St. Louis Cardinals’ organization, former big-league catcher Mike Matheny is back in a chair, albeit in a less hands-on role. Per a team announcement, the Kansas City Royals have brought Matheny aboard to work as a special advisor for player development beneath general manager Dayton Moore.

Matheny had been signed to manage the Cardinals through 2020, but a dysfunctional clubhouse that translated to shoddy fundamental play ultimately moved the organization to pull the plug in July. The team was 47-46 prior to his firing, and finished 14 games above .500 thanks to interim skipper Mike Shildt.

Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports has hinted that the 2019 season will most likely be Ned Yost‘s final go-around at the helm for the Royals, and hiring Matheny could easily provide the Kansas City front office with an in-house option who, with a 591-474 lifetime record, could stand out among candidates.

Padres Release Spangenberg

Meanwhile, in San Diego, a former first-round pick and trusted utilityman has been shown the door. After being designated for assignment late last week, Cory Spangenberg has been released by the Padres. The 27-year old functions primarily as a second baseman, though he’s seen time at the hot corner as well as left field, even if his defensive metrics are questionable.

Spangenberg appeared in 116 games off the bench last season for the Friars, hitting .235/.298/.362 with seven home runs, 25 RBI, and six stolen bases while whiffing at a career-high rate of 32.8%. His best offensive season came in 2017, where he hit .264/.322/.401 in 486 plate appearances with 13 homers, 46 RBI, and 11 steals. Even then, however, his 13 errors at third were the fourth-most in the National League, and his -14 DRS was tied with Nicholas Castellanos for the worst among third basemen.

Dodgers Cut Ties with Familiar Face

Alongside left-hander Zac Rosscup, who hasn’t cracked 20 relief appearances in a season since 2015, middle reliever and former Met Erik Goeddel was granted his unconditional release yesterday as the Los Angeles Dodgers scrambled to make room on the 40-man roster for potential Rule 5 Draft picks (first reported by MLB.com‘s Ken Gurnick).

In 31 games between the Dodgers and Seattle Mariners this past season, Goeddel silently impressed, posting a 2.95 ERA and averaging 10.8 K/9. Granted, his 4.9 BB/9 rate remains a wrinkle to be ironed out, and undoubtedly contributed to his less intriguing 4.18 FIP in a Dodger uniform. Goeddel’s days in a Met uniform spanned from 2014 to 2017, with his latter two years marked by a 4.87 ERA and 1.8 HR/9 in 69 games split up by trips to and from Triple-A Las Vegas. However, Goeddel once showed potential in a mop-up role in 2015, where he boasted a 2.43 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in 35 games to earn a spot on the Mets’ postseason roster.

Rosscup pitched to a 4.76 ERA in 11.1 innings as a specialist with the Dodgers, striking out 20 but also allowing three home runs. For his career, the 30-year old journeyman has held lefties to an empty .138/.266/.275 slash line with 46 strikeouts. A high walk and homer total (4.9 and 2.4 per nine innings, respectively) have hindered Rosscup’s chances at securing regular time out of the bullpen.

The post Hot Stove Rumor Roundup: Matheny Going Back to Work appeared first on Metsmerized.

Good morning Mets fans!

Today, Matt Harvey will face off against the St.Louis Cardinals. After striking out eight Marlins in five innings his last time out, Harvey will look to keep the good times rolling. Today’s game will broadcast on 710 WOR.

Yesterday, Steven Matz silenced any concerns about his poor spring, pitching six innings of two-run ball against a potent Astros offense. He mixed his pitches and was able to command well, which were two things that he struggled with in his first few starts. Despite his strong effort, he was still tagged with the loss as Justin Verlander befuddled the Mets hitters, holding them to only five hits.

Phillip Evans continued his strong spring with two more hits, increasing his OPS to .954. Despite not recording a hit, Kevin Plawecki also had a decent game, throwing out two Astros on the bases.

After receiving a cortisone shot in his wrist late last week, Yoenis Cespedes returned to the Mets lineup and went 1-for-3.

Latest Mets News

In an interview with Newsday’s Tim Healey, Matz feels confident going into the season saying, “I’m really feeling comfortable on the mound right now,”

Erik Goeddel was released from his minor-league contract from the Rangers. The Mets have many options in their Major League and Triple-A bullpens so a Goeddel reunion appears unlikely.

Anthony DiComo of MLB.com expresses his excitement at the chance to finally see the “Fab-Five” go through one turn through the rotation.

DiComo also reports that the Mets will play their Triple-A counterparts on March 26 with the proceeds from the event going to American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.

Latest MLB News

The Padres released a bevy of former Major League veterans, including Melvin Upton Jr. and Ryan Hanigan.

The Reds reassigned their top infield prospect, Nick Senzel, to Minor League camp.

The Tigers top prospect Franklin Perez will miss the next four months due a lat strain.

Major League Baseball released their “Fourth of July” hats that each team will wear on Independence Day.

Forbes.com published their list of the top 30 Major League ballparks. After reviewing the list, it seemed like that the stadiums were ranked simply in the order they were pulled out of a hat. Even Yankee fans couldn’t believe that Yankee Stadium was ranked higher than Citi Field!

According to Joel Sherman of The New York Post, the Red Sox and Yankees will play two games in London in June 2019.

Aaron Boone confirmed that Jacoby Ellsbury will miss the beginning of the season.

Latest NL East News

The Braves decided that a player slashed .432/.519/.727 this spring wasn’t deemed worthy of an Opening Day roster spot. Of course, there were more factors in demoting Ronald Acuna to Minor League camp, especially considering the Braves will now own Acuna’s rights for an extra year.

The Rangers claimed Tommy Joseph off waivers from the Phillies.

Latest on MMO

Mathew Brownstein interviews Mets RHP Jacob Rhame.

Rob Piersall wonders who will lead off for the Mets in 2018.

John Azzato doesn’t want the Mets to trade Juan Lagares.

This Date on Mets History 

Birthdays: Manny Alexander(47), Blas Minor(52), Rick Parker(55), Steve Dillon(75), George Altman(85)

Let’s Go Mets!

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The Texas Rangers have signed former Met Erik Goeddel to a minor league deal according to TR Sullivan of MLB.com.

The Mets drafted Goeddel in the 24th round of the 2010 MLB Draft. He spent parts of the last four seasons with the big league club before being outrighted from the 40-man roster on Oct. 25 and becoming a free agent.

Goeddel, who will be celebrating his 29th birthday tomorrow, is coming off back-to-back poor seasons with the Mets.

However, he has shown potential in the past. During 2015, he pitched to the tune of a 2.43 ERA, 2.47 FIP, and 0.990 WHIP while striking out 34 batters in 33 1/3 innings and 35 appearances.

Goeddel joins Josh Edgin and Travis Taijeron as two former Mets who have since signed with other teams. Edgin inked a minor league deal with the Baltimore Orioles while Taijeron did the same with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The post Rangers Add Erik Goeddel On A Minor League Deal appeared first on Metsmerized.

There is no game tonight as it’s a travel day with the World Series resuming on Friday night in Houston.

Last night there was some game at Chavez Ravine. The Astros had an early 1-0 lead but homers by Joc Pederson and Corey Seager put the Dodgers up 3-1. The Dodgers dominant bullpen looked like they had the game locked up until a huge solo homer by Marwin Gonzalez off Kenley Jansen tied it up at 3-3 in the ninth. It was the first postseason blown save for Jensen after converting the first 12, a MLB record.

The following inning, the Astros took the lead on back-to-back shots by Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa. But the bottom of the tenth was just as entertaining. Yasiel Puig homered to leadoff the inning to make it a one-run game. With two outs, Logan Forsythe walked, went to second on a passed ball and scored the tying run on an Enrique Hernandez single.

Then in the 11th inning, George Springer homered to give the Astros a 7-5 lead. Charlie Culberson homered in the bottom of the 11th to make it a 7-6 game before Puig struck out to end the threat.

The series is now tied at a game apiece with the next game Friday night. The teams combined for a World Series record eight home runs on Wednesday night including a record five in extra innings.

Vin Scully hosted the pregame festivities in Los Angeles yesterday, and it was a must watch event. Here is the link, enjoy.

Latest Mets News

The Mets outrighted Travis Taijeron, Phillip Evans, Erik Goeddel, Wuilmer Becerra, and Tyler Pill. None of those come as a surprise.

Kristie Ackert of the Daily News writes about Asdrubal Cabrera‘s future in New York.

Latest NL East News

Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post says the Nationals might not have Daniel Murphy for opening day.

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes that Giancarlo Stanton will meet with the new owners soon.

Ian Krol of the Braves elected free agency. He was an above average pitcher in 2016 and throws fairly hard. The Mets should give him a call.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that the Phillies are zeroing in on Dusty Wathan to manage them in 2018.

Latest on MMO

Ed Leyro writes about the famous Game 6 victory in 1986.

Daniel Muras takes a look at how the Mets minor league shortstop fared in 2017.

This Day in Mets History

2000: The Mets lose the 2000 World Series to the Yankees.

Birthdays: Jamie Cerda turns 39

The post Morning Briefing: Astros Tie Series With Late Heroics appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Mets have a much needed day off before heading home to start a three-game series with the Washington Nationals.

Yesterday, the Mets lost 9-2 to the Miami Marlins to complete the sweep. Rafael Montero started the game and did not fare well at all. He allowed five runs in his four innings of work, along with seven hits and two walks. He only managed to record two strikeouts in that time.

The bullpen fared well after that, outside of Erik Goeddel‘s dreadful performance in his return in which he allowed four runs in 1/3 of an inning.

Offensively, the Mets only scored two runs on a Brandon Nimmo homer and Travis d’Arnaud pinch-hit RBI single. Kevin Plawecki and Philip Evans also recorded two hits each.

Latest Mets News:

Amed Rosario is hoping to return to the lineup on Friday after missing the last few games with a stomach illness.

Terry Collins is hoping to give Jeurys Familia at least one save opportunity before the season is over.

Noah Syndergaard will be re-evaluated Friday with the hopes of him being able to appear in a game before the season is over.

Latest NL East News:

Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post writes about a couple of milestones that were reached by Ryan Zimmerman and Trea Turner.

Giancarlo Stanton hit his 56th homer of the season off of Erik Goeddel in yesterday’s game.

David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Matt Kemp might not return again this season.

Matt Gelb of Philly.com talks about the two-week tenure of top prospect J.P. Crawford.

Latest on MMO

Logan Barer talks about the new record in home runs set by MLB this season.

Barer also touches on the dark days of Matt Harvey‘s tenure of late.

This Day in Mets History

1969: The Mets reduce the magic number for the NL East title to four games.

2001: Mike Piazza hits a game-winning homer in the eighth inning of the first sporting event in New York after the 9/11 attacks.

Birthdays: Antonio Bastardo turns 32, Joaquin Arias turns 33, Greg Burke turns 35, Scott Rice turns 36, and D.J. Dozier turns 52.

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Get Needed Day Off After Miami Sweep appeared first on Metsmerized.

The New York Mets (65-85) were defeated by the Miami Marlins (70-80) 13-1 on Monday night in the first of a three-game series.

Pitching:

Matt Harvey started the game for the Mets and struggled from the get-go. He gave up a run in the first inning on a Justin Bour RBI single.

The right-hander struggled in the third inning as well, throwing a wild pitch to allow Giancarlo Stanton which forced home a run. Stanton then hit a three-run homer in the fourth to extend the Marlins lead to 5-1.

Harvey didn’t fare any better in the fifth inning as he allowed two more runs before recording an out which sent him to the showers. His final line reads as four innings pitched, 12 hits allowed, seven earned runs, two walks and two strikeouts.

Tommy Milone came in to relieve him and was just as bad as he allowed two runs in a 1/3 of an inning. Hansel Robles replaced him which added more gas to the fire. He allowed three runs on four hits and also could only complete 1/3 of an inning to allow the game to get out of control with the Marlins now holding a 12-1 lead.

Christopher Flexen pitched the sixth inning struck out two batters while only allowing one hit to stop the bleeding, temporarily.

Jacob Rhame came in to pitch the seventh inning and allowed a solo homer to Marcell Ozuna in his one inning of work, but also recorded a strikeout. Jamie Callahan replaced him in the eighth and pitched a clean inning.

Offense:

The Mets all night appeared to struggle to put anything together as the team recorded a total of eight hits, three of which were by Norichika Aoki.

The team’s lone run came one a Gavin Cecchini RBI single in the fourth inning that scored Juan Lagares.

On the bright side, Lagares, Aoki and Jose Reyes combined to steal three bases off Dan Straily. Tomas Nido also recorded a pinch-hit single.

On Deck: 

The Mets will try to bounce back on Tuesday night as they send Seth Lugo (6-5, 5.21 ERA) to the mound to face Odrisamer Despaigne (0-3, 4.35 ERA). The game airs on SNY at 7:10 p.m.

The post Rapid Reaction: Harvey Battered In 13-1 Blowout appeared first on Metsmerized.

Mets RHP Erik Goeddel, who is dealing with dizziness and blurred vision, has been sent to New York to be examined.

The 28-year-old has not pitched since September 5th. He’s appeared in 30 games this season, striking out 32 and walking 11 in 27.1 innings. He’s pitched to a 3.95 ERA, 4.39 FIP and 1.207 WHIP.

The post Goeddel Sent To New York With Dizziness And Blurred Vision appeared first on Metsmerized.

This week the Mets were dealt a devastating blow, which has put a major crimp in their rebuilding style. All Star outfielder Michael Conforto suffered a season-ending shoulder injury, followed by the loss of Yoenis Cespedes to a persistent hamstring issue that has compromised the controversial Cuban’s ability to remain healthy.

On Saturday, after the news that Steven Matz will take a seat for surgery to relocate the ulnar nerve in his left elbow, Robert Gsellman’s bloated ERA in his sophomore year has yielded a trip back to Triple-A.

NY’s flair for the dramatic was in full bloom on Sunday after blowing a five-run lead in the first game of a doubleheader against the Nationals. Amed Rosario hit a solo go-ahead home run in the eighth, which held up for a rare Sunday victory after Travis d’Arnaud‘s game ending tag on Edwin Jackson at the plate.

Asdrubal Cabrera gifted Mets starter Tommy Milone a three-run lead in the first with his 10th home run of the season. Later, Wilmer Flores showed what he’s capable of when given consistency in the line-up, following up his Saturday 4-for-5 offense with a two-run shot in the third.

Milone’s bid for his second win quickly vanished in the fifth after allowing three consecutive base hits, compromising the Mets battered bullpen going into the nightcap.

“I thought he threw the ball good today,” Mets manager Terry Collins said of Milone. “I thought he threw very good. Kept them off balance with his off-speed stuff and located his fastball better than he has [before], and I thought he pitched pretty well today.”

The anticipated return of starter Seth Lugo from the disabled list was a dud, as the Nationals had no trouble hitting his curve ball. Mets manager Terry Collins wasted no time giving the left-hander the hook after he surrendered two runs in three innings and change.

Juan Lagares put the Mets on the board in the sixth, sending home Jose Reyes with a double to left. Rookie Brandon Nimmo then launched a go-ahead two-run shot to center, smiling all the way around the bases, and into the dugout, in celebration of his first dinger of the season.

In the bottom of the inning, clinging to a one-run lead, Hansel Robles replaced an effective Josh Smoker, and the reliever, who struck out the two batters he faced in game one, proceeded to lose his location, location, location. He walked three consecutive Washington hitters, the last one scoring a run to even the score.

“He just doesn’t do that very much,” Mets manager Terry Collins said of Robles. “I think when it starts to go south, I don’t know if he can slow himself down enough to be able to regain [it]. We’ll have to talk to him about it and see if we can get him back on track faster.”

Collins called on Chasen Bradford to stop the bleeding with the bases loaded, and immediately walked in the go ahead run. After getting a double play, Bradford completed a 1-2-3 seventh, giving way to Erik Goeddel in the eighth. He hung a breaking ball to Adam Lind for an opposite field insurance run, which proved to be money well spent.

Because in the ninth, the Mets attempt at a consecutive dramatic comeback fell short. After Travis d’Arnaud and Gavin Cecchini reached base on line drive singles to left, Jose Reyes’ line drive to a diving Michael Taylor closed the gap to 5-4. Then in typical Mets losing fashion, Juan Lagares laced a liner into the glove of an ex-Met, Alejandro De Aza.

At least the Mets finally pulled off a win on Sunday, but wouldn’t it figure they did it on a day when they lost a game on that same Sunday, as well.

The post A Dramatic Sunday At Nationals Park As Mets Split Series With Washington appeared first on Metsmerized.

The New York Mets (54-69) were defeated 3-2 by the Arizona Diamondbacks (68-57) on Monday night.

Pitching: 

Robert Gsellman took the hill for the Mets tonight and delivered in his second outing since returning from the DL. He started off excellent as he didn’t allow a run through the first three innings, but he ran into trouble in the fourth and allowed a run on a J.D. Martinez RBI single.

Despite that, he managed to not allow the damage to linger. He finished with a line of 6 1/3 IP, 1 ER, 5 hits allowed, and three strikeouts.

Jerry Blevins replaced him in the seventh inning and proceeded to strike out both of the batters he faced in the inning. Blevins started the eighth inning  and walked Jake Lamb and was promptly removed in favor of Paul Sewald.

Sewald got Paul Goldschmidt to ground into a double play to end the threat and then proceeded to get J.D. Martinez to fly out to end the inning.

AJ Ramos replaced him to start the ninth and struck out the first two batters and retired the side in order.

Erik Goeddel came in to pitch the 10th inning and walked the first batter he faced on four pitches. David Peralta hit into a fielder’s choice to get Gregor Blanco to advance to second base. A.J. Pollock then hit a two-run homer which proved to be the dagger for the Mets. Goeddel finished the inning, but received the loss.

Offense: 

The Mets struggled to get going offensively in this game until the seventh inning in which they loaded the bases for Yoenis Cespedes. He hit a single to left field in which Travis d’Arnaud scored on, but Asdrubal Cabrera was thrown out at the plate on. The Mets challenged the call, but to no avail and Wilmer Flores popped out to finish the inning.

The Mets tried to fight late as Michael Conforto hit a solo-shot off Fernando Rodney in the tenth inning.

Michael Conforto (2-4) and Yoenis Cespedes (3-5) proved to the only bright spots of the offense on the night as the rest of the team combined to record six hits.

The Mets also struggled with RISP all night and 2-12 in those situations during the course of the game.

On Deck:

The Mets will take on the Arizona Diamondbacks in the second game of a four-game series tomorrow night and will send the Tommy Milone (1-2, 7.91 ERA) to the mound in place of the injured Steven Matz to take on Patrick Corbin (10-11, 4.25 ERA). The game will start at 7:10 p.m. and be aired on SNY.

The post Rapid Reaction: Extra Innings Prove Too Much for Mets in 3-2 Loss to D-Backs appeared first on Metsmerized.