The Mets' bullpen is good. Here's why they should still add at the trade deadline

New York Times

a day ago

DENVER — The New York Mets kept any concerns over the depth of their bullpen to a minimum last week as they reeled off five wins over a seven-game road trip, arriving home with the National League's best record (42-24).
They also returned with the second-best bullpen ERA in MLB (2.91), behind only the San Francisco Giants (2.32).
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Still, potential issues lingered in the background of their success.
Even if a keen eye was necessary to spot the reasons, the need for a trustworthy late-inning lefty and another even slightly above-average right-handed reliever appeared worth addressing ahead of the trade deadline.
There were multiple instances during a four-game series against the Dodgers in Los Angeles where deploying a high-leverage left-hander made sense, if only the Mets had one, and if only A.J. Minter (lat) weren't out for the season.
The scenario in the eighth inning of the Mets' 4-3 win in the second game of the series made sense for a lefty. With the Mets holding a one-run lead, Freddie Freeman (left-handed batter), Andy Pages and Max Muncy (left-handed batter) were due up. The Mets summoned Ryne Stanek, who pitched a scoreless inning.
Another scenario made for a lefty occurred the next day. If he were healthy (or if they had someone similar), the Mets likely would've attempted to close the game with Minter instead of right-hander Huascar Brazoban, with Muncy set to lead off the ninth inning with the Dodgers trailing one run. Muncy ended up hitting a home run to tie the score, and Los Angeles won in 10 innings. In the seventh inning of that game, with Muncy and left-handed batter Michael Conforto among the batters due up, lefty Brandon Waddell, who entered the season as a depth starter, successfully filled a lane for a left-hander reliever when he recorded three outs without allowing a run.
Sometimes the Mets get burned for not having a late-inning lefty, but most times, they do just fine. Since May, the Mets' right-handed relievers have faced 49 left-handed batters in high-leverage spots. In those situations, they have a 3.18 ERA. Among the 16 teams with righties who have faced at least 30 left-handed batters during that span and in that situation, the Mets' ERA is the fifth best.
Despite those respectable results, against talented lineups with elite left-handed batters like the Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies, the Mets will likely need additional help. Those are the kinds of clubs the Mets would see come October.
A potential problem for the Mets: The lefty reliever market looks weak, said multiple people with knowledge of who is available in trades. That is subject to change, though. Plenty of time remains before the July 31 deadline. The expectation is for the Mets to continue to monitor the situation.
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Either way, lefty reliever Brooks Raley, whom the Mets signed just before Minter went down with an injury, looms as an important part of the puzzle. As of last week, Raley, who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, was said to be feeling good while throwing live bullpen sessions. People close to the player suggest he could begin appearing in rehab games by the end of June. On the conservative side, Mets officials view him as a second-half contributor.
In the meantime, the Mets will also likely keep an eye on the waiver wire and hope to work their magic with anyone they might scoop up. The latest success story is lefty José Castillo, whom the Mets acquired for cash on May 15 after the Arizona Diamondbacks had designated him for assignment. With Arizona, the 29-year-old, who is out of minor-league options, allowed eight runs on 10 hits over 6 1/3 innings. With New York, Castillo has allowed five hits and three walks with nine strikeouts in seven scoreless innings.
Castillo and club officials attribute his success with the Mets to the club simplifying his approach (he is using just a slider and two-seam fastball) and making him feel like he belongs — not any kind of major makeover with his pitches. Ahead of acquiring him, the Mets did their homework on his personality and learned they first needed to instill confidence in him and lay out a plan. Castillo pitched well in 2018 as a rookie, but injuries have disrupted his career ever since, leaving him wondering if he belonged in the big leagues.
'When I was in Arizona, I put this immense amount of pressure on myself to try to get results with every pitch I threw,' Castillo said. 'When I got here, I spoke with (Mets manager Carlos Mendoza) and the pitching coaches, and all they did was say, 'Go out there and compete. Don't pitch with any pressure. Just play the game you've always played.' That's been the key for me.'
In Castillo's view, his stuff isn't quite as sharp as it was seven years ago, but he's getting there. Whether he reaches that point in New York remains to be seen. He could evolve into a more important pitcher for the club. He could be gone in a week. He could also last as something in the middle. The point is, the Mets want to find out.
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Given the way the Mets have identified and developed arms under president of baseball operations David Stearns and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, New York deserves the benefit of doubt when making pitcher acquisitions. On Monday, they optioned Waddell and replaced him with Justin Garza, a right-hander they recently acquired from the Giants in a cash deal.
Ideally, the Mets would like to leave some room to give internal options a chance. It worked last year with Dedniel Nunez. Possible minor leaguers who have yet to debut in the majors and could help this season include Felipe De La Cruz (lefty), Ryan Lambert, Jonathan Pintaro, Dom Hamel and Dylan Ross, among others. It's important for teams to produce pitchers with club control, and that's especially true in the volatile, up-and-down world of bullpens where there's seemingly never enough quality depth.
Given all that context, the Mets could still use another slightly above-average reliever, at least, regardless of handedness, to give them some additional cushion.
Back-to-back lopsided wins inside a three-game sweep against the historically bad Colorado Rockies over the weekend enabled the Mets to ease up on the usage of their main set-up relievers.
Recently, and particularly since Minter was lost for the season, such opportunities for the Mets were hard to come by.
Without Minter, New York had leaned heavily on right-handers Brazoban, Stanek and Reed Garrett as bridge relievers to closer Edwin Díaz. During a stretch of just over two weeks starting May 21 and ending Friday, New York used or at least warmed each reliever on nearly an every-other-day basis. Within that span, Garrett (9 1/3 innings) and Brazoban (nine innings) were among just six relievers in MLB (excluding bulk or traditional multi-inning pitchers) to log at least nine innings.
'We have been using them pretty hard,' Mendoza said before Saturday's game. 'That's not sustainable. We have got to be careful here.'
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Enter the Rockies (12-53), who obliged by losing in blowouts on Saturday and Sunday. Garrett did not pitch at all in the series. Stanek, Brazoban and Díaz logged an inning each on Friday. The Mets are off on Monday.
In his second appearance since returning from the injured list, Paul Blackburn effectively piggybacked in relief of starter Tylor Megill on Sunday, covering four innings and saving the bullpen. The Mets went into Saturday or Sunday knowing they would utilize Blackburn in such a role on either of the days. Could the Mets use that route again?
New York's recent increased usage of its setup relievers was the product of playing a bunch of close games; Mendoza otherwise has operated mostly judiciously. San Diego Padres reliever Jason Adams leads MLB with 33 appearances. Garrett (28 appearances) leads the Mets, followed by Diaz, Brazoban and Stanek (26 each). Jose Butto is next with 24.
Behind All-Star-worthy seasons from Garrett and Díaz, the Mets' bullpen is demonstrating that it is good. The construction of the late-inning group charged with getting the ball to Díaz also indicates the Mets know what they're doing: Garrett was a waiver-wire pickup, and they bet on bouncebacks from Brazoban and Stanek in deadline deals last year. Based on their track record, the Mets may not have to part with much to effectively supplement the group. Nonetheless, a need is peeking out for additional quality.
(Top photo of Reed Garrett: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)