Just look at the names: Edwin Diaz, Jeurys Familia, Seth Lugo and now Dellin Betances. This is a group of men who are the envy of each and every MLB team, and when you break it down, it has the potential of being an all-time great bullpen.
In 2018, Diaz was as dominant as we have seen any reliever in baseball history be. In 73 appearances, the right-hander recorded a MLB leading 57 saves, coupled with a 1.96 ERA, 0.791 WHIP, and 15.2 K/9.
Familia is the best right-handed closer in Mets history. From 2015-16, he was second in baseball in saves, while having the third most innings pitched and ninth best ERA.
Lugo has been as dominant a reliever as the Mets have ever had, and has emerged as a premier reliever in the game. To put it in perspective how dominant and overlooked he has been, over the past two years, Lugo has a better FIP while also throwing more innings than two time All-Star Josh Hader.
As great as this group is, you can argue that none of them are anywhere near as good as Betances has been. From 2014-18, Betances was one of the best relievers in all of baseball. In fact, his 11.2 fWAR was ranked No. 2. The New York native was best in innings pitched, third in K/9, fourth in fWAR, and fifth in appearances.
When you can line this level of relievers up in a row, you’re making every game a 5-6 inning game for a starting staff which includes Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, and Marcus Stroman. That is not only a recipe for success, it is a recipe for pure dominance.
However, it is important to note this year is 2020, and based on the last few years, only Lugo has been pitching at this high a level.
In 2019, Diaz had a career worst year. After the season, he talked about how he struggled handling New York, and as reported by Laura Albanese of Newsday, the Mets finally admitted he had been dealing with some health issues.
Familia also had a disastrous campaign. While dealing with an arterial clot removed in 2017 and battling shoulder issues again last year, you wonder if he can ever get back to the pitcher he was in 2018 (3.13 ERA) let alone his dominant form of 2014-16.
Finally, there is Betances. The towering right-hander had been shut down at the beginning of the 2019 season due to a bone spur issue in his shoulder, inflammation in the joint, and a strain to his his right latissimus dorsi muscle. When he finally came back, he had lost velocity on his pitches.
That was also before partially tearing his Achillies. The good news on that front is it did not require surgery, and he is expected to be ready for Spring Training. The downside is no one can quite be sure what type of pitcher he will be in 2020.
Long story short, this means Jeremy Hefner has his work cut out for him. The former Met turned pitching coach has been handed an incredibly gifted bullpen which needs a lot of help getting back to their respective levels of dominance. If he is able to get this group at or near their apex, this Mets relief corps has the potential to be the best in the game, and when you factor in the talent and potential of relievers like Justin Wilson and Robert Gsellman, you could have an all-time great bullpen.
On the other hand, it is difficult to coach away injuries and diminution in skill. To that end, no one can be quite sure how this bullpen will perform. As such, this “boom or bust” bullpen will be one of the key reasons why the Mets succeed or fail in 2020.
