The Mets are still searching for top shelf relief pitching
Also - clarification on Pete Alonso's demands, as well as their arbitration-eligible players
What’s up with the Mets? 🍎
The Mets agreed to new contracts for all six of their arbitration eligible players of RHP Paul Blackburn, RHP Tylor Megill, LHP David Peterson, OF Jose Siri, OF Tyrone Taylor and C Luis Torrens (official)
The Mets remain interested in bringing back Pete Alonso on a shorter deal - there is no truth to the rumor Alonso is seeking a deal similar to Prince Fielder’s nine-year contract he received in 2012 (NY Post)
The team is still searching for relief pitching and LHP Tanner Scott might be the best fit (NY Post)
The Mets signed RHP Carlos Guzmán to a minor league contract
Rumor Mill 💨
The Yankees and Padres are not currently discussing a trade involving INF Luis Arráez (SNY)
The Yankees are still trying to move RHP Marcus Stroman so they can free up money for an infielder (NY Post)
The Yankees are receiving trade interest in INF/OF Oswaldo Cabrera (Athletic)
The Red Sox have added RHP Phil Maton to their long list of relief options (MassLive)
The Reds are showing interest in RHP Carlos Estevez (NY Post)
It is becomes less and less likely the Cardinals will trade 3B Nolan Arenado (Athletic)
Brendan Donovan and the Cardinals are discussing a longer-term deal (MLB.com)
The Mets need to dive into the deep end of the relief market pool ✍️
When it was reported that the Mets were showing interest in LHP Tanner Scott, it was welcome news among the fan base.
After Brooks Raley went down with injury last season, the Mets had a glaring hole on the left side of their bullpen, as they needed both another shutdown reliever and lefty for the late innings.
Scott would fill both needs for the 2025 ballclub. Last year, the southpaw had a 1.75 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 74 innings pitched with the Marlins and Padres. He also recorded 22 saves with the Marlins and Padres, although his walk rate was a little concerning at 4.8 free passes per nine and a total of 36 walks in those 74 innings.
But aside from that, everything about Scott is elite, from his chase rate to his whiff rate, and his hard hit rate to his ground ball rate. He is as good of a reliever as there is in baseball right now in what is a very volatile area of the game. He is primarily a fastball/slider arm and while his slider showed diminished effectiveness in 2024 over 2023, it was still good for a positive run value and, as long as he’s healthy, there’s a strong possibility the Mets can get even more out of him with their modernization techniques.
The question with Scott will come down to whether or not he wants to be a full-time closer right now. If he does, it would seem less likely he’s signable for the Mets. But if he’s willing to take a hybrid role now with the opportunity to close next season (if Edwin Díaz opts out of his contract, of course), then it could be a very, very good fit for the Mets.
Still, even if the Mets can land Scott, I would argue David Stearns needs another quality major league arm.
Perhaps Tylor Megill could become a reliever like his brother, but having him as starting pitching depth is also important. Perhaps Stearns could swing a trade for a reliever, but he does have options on the free-agent market as he looks to shore up one of the team’s weaknesses heading into the 2025 season.
Right now, on the Mets’ 40-man roster, they have Huascar Brazobán, José Buttó, Edwin Díaz, Reed Garrett, Max Kranick, Dedniel Núñez, Sean Reid-Foley, and Danny Young as options in their bullpen. While this is a collection of arms that has potential, outside of Díaz, there is no truly reliable and consistent arm. Núñez did show some promise before he got hurt, Reid-Foley has had issues with injuries in the past, and Buttó completely fell apart in the playoffs last year. Scott would be an immediate upgrade over all of these arms, serving as a bridge to Díaz.
The Mets do have the option of bringing back Phil Maton and Ryne Stanek, but so far, the team has shown little interest in a reunion with the two relievers they acquired at the deadline last season. Their other options on the free-agent market are Kenley Jansen, David Robertson, Kendall Graveman, Carlos Estévez, Kirby Yates, and Jeff Hoffman. Both Estévez and Hoffman, of course, are well known in Metsland now for their efforts in the sixth inning in Game 5 of the NLCS. Hoffman got the ball rolling for Estévez, who gave up the game-winning grand slam to Francisco Lindor.
Before his misfortune in the sixth, Hoffman was having a nice season with Philadelphia. He was 3-3 with a 2.17 ERA. He also had 89 strikeouts in 66.1 innings pitched. The 32-year-old would actually be a nice addition to the bullpen despite how his season ended in 2024.
The good news is, this market is only now - as expected - beginning to define itself and there are plenty of options for the Mets to consider. They know that with the fragility and questions surrounding their rotation, they can build an area of strength in their bullpen and shorten games for that rotation with just a couple of quality adds.
But, they may need to take some short to medium-term risks in order to accomplish that goal if they’re really going to shop at the top of this market.
Around the League 🚩
The Orioles signed RHP Andrew Kitteridge to a one-year, $10 million contract (Athletic)
The Blue Jays and 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. settled their arbitration case at $28.5 million
The Cubs and newly acquired OF Kyle Tucker could not come to a contract agreement during his arbitration filing
Tigers ace Tarik Skubal avoided arbitration with Detroit and agreed to a one-year deal worth $10.15 million
The Pirates signed LHP Caleb Ferguson to a one year, $3 million contract
The Dodgers traded former top catching prospect Diego Cartaya to the Twins for minor league RHP José Vasquez