Who Will Make the Mets Bullpen?

Author: Frank Caggino

Editor: Mark Awadallah

For the New York Mets during Spring Training, one roster opening has yet to be filled, tthe last bullpen spot. Following the release of Brad Brach and injury to Seth Lugo, the Mets need another reliever for the major league roster. The Mets have invited a ton of different pitchers to Spring Training, to determine who will make the team. In the first week of Spring Training, a few relievers have performed well, but only one might make the opening day roster.

The favorite to make the bullpen is Drew Smith. Smith has been with the Mets for a few years and has some good outings on the MLB level for the Mets. Smith is now two years removed from the Tommy John surgery and has pitched well in Spring Training so far. There is no guarantee that Smith will make the team since other pitchers have done well also.

An intriguing candidate to be in the Mets bullpen, is Sean Reid-Foley. He came to the Mets from the Toronto Blue Jays in the Steven Matz trade. Reid-Foley was effective for the Jays in a very small sample size of games in 2020, having a 1.35 ERA in 5 games. He brings in a valuable element of someone who can start games, which can give the Mets a long reliever. He can come into the game if a pitcher has a bad outing and gets pulled early or gets hurt during the game. Reid-Foley can come in during a blowout, to rest the other pitchers in the bullpen. He had a scoreless outing in his one Spring Training appearance, but there is a lot of Spring Training left.

A player worth mentioning based off his outings in Spring Training, is Trevor Hildenberger. He has pitched well and has been generating strikeouts. The most intriguing thing about Hildenberger, is his delivery as a sidearm pitcher. This can make him useful in certain matchups to give hitters a different look. If he continues to pitch this well, he can end up getting some innings for the Mets this season.

Some other pitchers that are competing include Jacob Barnes, Sam McWilliams, Jerry Blevins, Tommy Hunter, Arodys Vizcanio, and more. All of these pitchers are going to be trying their best because, even if they do not make the Mets major league team, they want to try to make another major league team. It will be interesting to see who makes the team, since the bullpen can be the deciding factor in how the Mets season goes. The lineup is expected to do very well, and the rotation should be vastly improved with Marcus Stroman, Carlos Carrasco, and Taijuan Walker. The one question mark will be the bullpen because fans do not have trust in some of the pitchers that are guaranteed to be in the bullpen, such as Jeurys Familia and Dellin Betances. Throughout the course of the regular season, a ton of different pitchers will be used. In this year in particular, pitchers may miss games because they are sick or due to contact tracing. These Spring Training games will help decide which pitchers to call up when they need an extra arm. The Mets have not had this kind of depth before and one of these relievers can help finally get the Mets back to the postseason.

METS ARE OUR UNIVERSE

What is next for the Mets After Trevor Bauer?

Author: Frank Caggino

Editor: Brian Symons

It looked like the New York Mets had signed Trevor Bauer and would be paying him 40 million in 2021. Obviously, the Mets did not get Bauer, and since then have made two signings. equating to almost 5 million dollars. Theoretically, the Mets have 35 million to spend but, but more realistically, they would like to stay under the luxury tax and have 30 million to spend. Since Bauer went to the reigning champion Dodgers, the Mets still have more work to do to catch up to them.

With the Mets trading Steven Matz earlier in the offseason, Joey Lucchesi is the number five pitcher in the Mets rotation. While Lucchesi has some nice pitches, it is not ideal to rely on him every five days. There is a drop off from Trevor Bauer and the rest of the starting pitchers in the free-agent market. The most recent starting pitcher that the Mets have reported interest in, is Jake Arrieta.

Arrieta’s ERA has gone up every year since 2015 and he is going to turn 35 in March. It would make more sense for the Mets to go for a younger pitcher with more upside, like Taijuan Walker. No reporter has connected the Mets and Walker, which makes this pairing unlikely. Whoever the Mets sign for the rotation, it will allow them to put Lucchesi in the minor league as extra depth. The Mets have been making several depth moves recently, and will probably make more. The area that really should be addressed by the Mets, is the bullpen.

The Mets missed out on Brad Hand and signed Aaron Loup instead. As of right now, the Mets are counting on Diaz to be the pitcher he was in 2020 and not 2019. They will also be relying on players such as Jeryus Familia, Delin Betances, Brad Brach, and Miguel Castro to make significant contributions. These pitchers are not trustworthy, and a reliever like Trevor Rosenthal stands out as someone who can help the team after having a great year in 2020. The last reliever the Mets have been linked to is Jeremy Jeffress, but that was weeks ago. Another position the Mets would like to upgrade is third base.

Justin Turner’s name has popped up this week as someone the Mets are interested in, but the two sides are apart on the contract details. Turner is 36 years old and is looking for a multi-year deal. The one position the Mets do not have a top 10 offensive player according to MLB Network, is third base. Turner would certainly provide an offensive upgrade, but for how long? There are good third basemen potentially available for trade, such as Eugenio Suarez and Kris Bryant which the Mets could consider, although the asking price looks to be very high.

The Mets’ main priority should be to sign Francisco Lindor to a long-term contract and do it before Spring Training. Lindor has said he does not want to discuss an extension during the season. Depending on how much the Mets spend the rest of the offseason, they could also extend Michael Conforto. Overall, the Mets have plenty of money to spend and there are multiple ways they can do it. This team is not ready to win a World Series but is vastly improved, contrary to what others may say. The last thing the Mets can do is to wait for the trade deadline to see how this team plays with all of the new acquisitions. The Mets may have a need at the deadline that did not look like a need during the offseason, because you never know what you are going to see during a New York Mets season.

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE

Daniel Murphy, Calls it a Career

Author: Spencer Reyes

Editor: Brian Symons

As of recent, many ballplayers have retired, including the likes of Josh Phegley, Howie Kendrick, Dustin Pedroia, Spencer Kieboom, Branden Kline, Yonder Alonso, and now 12-year MLB veteran, utility man, Daniel Murphy will retire after a successful career with four different teams. Although he played briefly with the Nationals, Rockies, and Cubs, Murphy was known for his time with Mets. He was an anchor on the team after only playing in New York’s minor league system for two years. During his 7-year tenure with the Mets, he played every position besides catcher and shortstop. While playing in New York, he batted for an average of .288, had a slugging % of .424, 62 home runs, 402 RBI’s, and 967 hits. One of his most memorable seasons with the Mets has to be 2015, the same year the Mets came out of nowhere and broke the MLB record for most wins to start off the season with 11 wins. Keep in mind this was the same team that had Kelly Johnson, Juan Uribe, underdeveloped Travis d’Arnaud, Eric Campbell, Bartolo Colon, Ruben Tejada, and Lucas Duda. There are only five players from that roster that are still on the Mets, and seven other players on other MLB rosters as of 2021. Murphy easily became the postseason hero that the Mets needed as they won the NL East Division for the first time since 2006. They went on to win the NLDS 3-2 over the future 2020 World Series champs, the Los Angeles Dodgers, defeat the “Back to the Future champs” the Chicago Cubs in a 4-0 sweep, and ultimately lost to the Kansas City Royals in the World Series 4-1. Murphy was named the 2015 NLCS MVP after hitting for a .529 batting average, a slugging percentage of 1.294, hit 4 HR’s, and 6 RBI’s for the series. Throughout his MLB career, he was a 3-time All-Star, and 2-time Silver Slugger Award winner. Daniel Murphy will join fellow utility man, Howie Kendrick in eligibility for the 2026 Cooperstown Hall of Fame class, and with his success and leadership over the past 12 years, he should have an easy time getting in. Murphy can now proudly hang up his cleats with a solid stat line of a .396 Batting Average, 138 HR’s, 735 RBI’s, and 1,572 hits. As a big Mets fan, it was an honor to watch him play and showcase his skills in New York. If the Mets need an extra ambassador or assistant to the GM, Murphy is your guy. He is a class act and great leader, hopefully we’ll see him in a suit with the Mets front office.

METS ARE OUR UNIVERSE