A new deal for Keith Hernandez? And a Mets reliever looking to make the leap

Can Drew Smith finally become a consistent late inning arm for the Mets?

What’s Up with the Mets? 🍎

• SNY and Keith Hernandez are reportedly making progress towards a new multi-year agreement (NY Post)

• Reliever Adam Ottavino will play for team USA in the WBC (NY Post)

• Ottavino opened a facility which allows pitchers to throw and evaluate their stuff/mechanics during the off-season in Manhattan (ESPN)

• The Mets have taken out an ad for the Super Bowl (Video)

• Rosters were announced for the 2023 World Baseball Classic, which begins in early March (official release)

• Outfielder Starling Marte will not play in the WBC as he recovers from offseason core surgery (MLB.com)

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3 days until Mets pitchers and catchers report to Port St. Lucie! ⚾️🌴

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Can Drew Smith take the next step in 2023? ✍🏻

Jessica Alcheh-USA TODAY Sports

The back part of the Mets’ relief corps is pretty set heading into spring training. We know Edwin Diaz will again be the big guy at the end. Last year’s eighth inning man, Adam Ottavino, is back and veteran David Robertson was also added to help get the ball to Díaz and should help mitigate a gap against left-handed hitters late in games. New York also acquired southpaw Brooks Raley in a winter trade with Tampa Bay and expect him to be an upgrade over the lefties they had at their disposal last season.

But GM Billy Eppler recently mentioned the importance of having five relievers they can be confident giving the ball to in high leverage situations.

So, who is that fifth guy on the Mets?

Well, both he and the team sure hope that answer is Drew Smith.

The Mets acquired Smith from Tampa Bay in exchange for Lucas Duda at the trade deadline in 2017 in a move the Mets saw as sort of buying a lottery ticket. Duda no longer factored in the Mets’ plans at first base, and Smith had a tantalizing power arm but was incredibly raw.

He made it to the big leagues the following summer and showed some potential before needing Tommy John surgery and losing all of 2019. The pandemic shortened 2020 campaign didn’t go much better, as he pitched in only eight games and was ineffective.

But the last two seasons Smith has flipped a switch and blossomed into a pretty reliable righty in the middle of the New York bullpen. In 77 appearances spanning 2021 and 2022 he’s pitched to a 2.88 ERA with a 1.13 WHIP, while striking out 94 hitters in 87.1 innings.

During the first couple months last year he was easily the Mets most consistent relief pitcher not named Díaz. But a propensity to give up home runs—he served up nine long balls in only 46 innings in 2022—made it difficult for Mets manager Buck Showalter to trust giving him the ball in late and close situations.

Instead, Smith consistently pitched in the middle innings, and while he was more often than not very effective, he struggled to climb the bullpen latter.

Entering 2023 his role projects to be mostly the same. As mentioned above, the Mets have enough quality relievers to handle the late innings, but bullpens can be very fickle and fluid. If Ottavino and Robertson both work back-to-back days, for instance, Smith’s number would be called. And certainly, when someone gets injured, Smith would bump a rung up the ladder and get another opportunity to show what he can do in higher leverage situations.

(Side note, he changed his number from 62 to 40 this season.)

The bottom line is Smith is the one best positioned to at worst be the Mets’ fifth high leverage guy Eppler spoke about, and at best has the potential to emerge into an even more important part of the bullpen than that.

And quite honestly, it’s time for Smith to shine.

The bottom half of New York’s bullpen is likely going to need to be sorted out in spring training with names like Stephen Nogosek, Zach Greene, Jeff Brigham, Sam Coonrad, Tommy Hunter, Stephen Ridings, and Bryce Montes de Oca all in the mix.

To point out the abundantly obvious, none of those guys are pitchers the Mets would particularly like to have on the mound in important late and close situations, further outlining the importance of Smith not taking a step backwards.

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Hot Stove 🔥

• The Padres and Yu Darvish agreed to a huge extension that will run through 2028 (Passan)

• Kyle Tucker lost his arbitration hearing with the Astros (Houston Chronicle)

• The Blue Jays and Bo Bichette agreed to a three-year extension to buy out his arbitration years (Blue Jays)

• Milwaukee lefty Aaron Ashby is unlikely to be ready for opening day due to shoulder fatigure (MLB.com)