Thoughts on the Mets bullpen heading into camp
Mets pitchers and catchers will report to Port St. Lucie next week with a different strategy behind their bullpen
What’s up with the Mets? 🍎
Mets pitchers and catchers report to Port St. Lucie in one week, with their first workout slated for February 14
The bullpen has potential to be great, or to be traded all away… ✍️
When the clock strikes zero at the Super Bowl, that will mark the unofficial start of baseball season.
Just six more days, and we are there.
Normally, people around these parts are more excited for the start of baseball season but there’s clearly a lack of excitement around the Mets, which is certainly justified. Their off-season has been generally muted, highlighted by the procurement of what really is a lot of fractional players. Their lineup is incomplete, their rotation questionable on it’s best day.
The bullpen construction is also questionable. But the bullpen also, to me anyway, has the best chance to standout among those questions and provide some quality answers.
Look - the rotation is crucial. Teams go as far as the starting pitching takes them. Look no further than the 2023 Mets and their rotation, a group of players - inclusive of Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander - who generally struggled to give the Mets five innings, let alone consistent quality innings from end-to-end.
We will see how their gamble on Luis Severino and Sean Manaea specifically shake out.
The bullpen though has an interesting construction. They recently brought in Jake Diekman and Shintaro Fujinami along side Brooks Raley and Adam Ottavino to setup Edwin Díaz. They’re not the flashiest of names and Fujinami in particular is coming off what can only be described as a brutal season with flashes of what he can be in 2023.
Diekman has reverse splits, so he doesn’t entirely solve the math problem the Mets have against left-handed hitters late in games. Some might argue the three batter rule negates the role of the lefty specialist, and I would side with that sentiment myself but clubs still need a neutralizing left-handed solution for those crucial at-bats in innings 6-8. But he has had a pretty good career nonetheless and while he’s a bit of a wild card, he showed he can still be a quality major league reliever with the Rays last season.
Then there’s Fujinami who, if he is throwing strikes will in fact shorten the game with his big fastball.
The question of course is whether or not he will throw strikes.
He walked 45 batters and hit seven in 79 innings last season with the A’s and Orioles. He was better after he was traded to Baltimore but he clearly struggled to find his footing in the big leagues. But that big fastball of his - which averaged 98.4 mph in 2023 - is too hard for clubs to ignore and at $3.35 million with the ability to send him to the minors, that’s a very low risk for the Mets to take with serious, high value upside if they can solve his puzzle.
I always worry (and am usually right) about how the Mets choose to construct their bullpen. Year after year, regardless of the owner and GM, there’s always something that’s amiss with it, a foundational crack that ultimately shows itself over a 162-game season, or too many bets gone bad. And make no mistake - this Mets bullpen is flawed and comes with a lot of risk and uncertainty (don’t forget Edwin Díaz, who hasn’t thrown a pitch in the big leagues in a year and a half).
But while I have my usual concerns about the bullpen, I like the approach David Stearns has taken with it.
Remember, this is a team trying to bridge to 2025 and 2026. Stearns has insisted he wants this team to contend for a playoff spot. I don’t think he has any illusions they’re in the same class as the Phillies, Braves or Dodgers. But I think he sees a path for all 162 games having import, so he is making some low-risk gambles on this area of the roster to try and make that happen.
And if it doesn’t work out but these relievers are merely competent, he has cards to play at the trade deadline to get more prospects into the system.
Hot Stove 🔥
February 4, 2024 was officially declared “Willie Mays Day” in San Francisco (video)
Evan Longoria still hasn’t decided if he wants to continue his career (TB Times)
The Mariners made another trade - they acquired Gregory Santos from the White Sox in exchange for two players and their competitive balance round B pick in 2024 (ESPN)
If Clayton Kershaw - who is out until the summer after undergoing shoulder surgery - wants to return to the Dodgers, they will bring him back (Athletic)
I have always said, bullpens are fickle year to year. Never know how they will perform until they actually perform. Cross your fingers and hope for the best.
With the Mets having so many pitchers that need a lot of attention this Spring I hope they invite some Extra pitching coaches. I remember when they use to invite Koufax to ST. Unfortunately, I do not think Hefner is a miracle worker - can not remember one pitcher he turned around.