Mets' bullpen problems are connected to rotation needs. Can they fix it at the trade deadline?
The Mets must find answers for their bullpen.
Even with lefty Brooks Raley finally on the active roster and right-hander José Buttó (illness) on a rehab assignment (he tossed a scoreless inning for Triple-A Syracuse on Friday), New York should probably add two relievers.
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The quality of the Mets' bullpen depth (or lack thereof) showed up in their 8-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. In his first start of the season, Sean Manaea, who closed out the first half in relief on Sunday, worked under a pitch limit. Manaea threw 69 pitches in four innings. He gave up just two walks, one hit and one run, courtesy of Austin Hays' solo home run. With a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning, the Mets turned to Alex Carrillo, and things went off the rails.
The Mets asked Carrillo, formerly of independent baseball, to pitch two solid innings, and he couldn't do it. He faced 10 batters and retired just four. Along the way, he gave up two home runs, a pair of walks and hit a batter. While pitching at Citi Field for the first time, he said he tried to do too much. The boos came loudest in the sixth inning after Spencer Steer's walk, which was sandwiched between the home runs. The Reds tagged Carrillo for five runs.
'I needed to cover five innings there,' Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. 'We are giving these guys a look here, and it just didn't happen today with him. There were some balls out of the hand, and when he came in the zone with the fastball, they didn't miss him — they were all over the fastball there.'
THE WOOOOOOO BIRDS ARE OUT pic.twitter.com/iiz8tKvjh7
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) July 19, 2025
Perhaps if the Mets boasted more trustworthy options for high-leverage roles, someone else capable of pitching multiple innings — Huascar Brazoban? — could've been used for the lane they picked for Carrillo. On the other hand, it was worth trying Carrillo in the spot, given his production in the minor leagues (3.24 ERA, 40 strikeouts in 25 innings). Either way, it didn't work out and only reinforced the idea that the Mets have room for quality in their bullpen.
Maybe Carrillo's opportunity was a prime spot for Buttó, but even if that's a one-for-one swap, the bullpen still contains journeyman Chris Devenski and left-hander Brandon Waddell, who allowed two runs, four hits and three walks. And it's not as if others are working their way back from the injured list. Dedniel Núñez had elbow surgery on Monday. Max Kranick is set to undergo either Tommy John surgery or a flexor repair surgery, but he's out for the season either way.
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The Mets' needs in the bullpen are connected to their starting rotation, too. Do they need another starter? Maybe not, if they can count on length from the pitchers that they already have. But that's part of the problem.
Their rotation finally looks the way club officials envisioned it at the start of spring training, but the production that they expected remains to be seen. The Mets' rotation out of the All-Star break after Manaea is as follows: Clay Holmes, David Peterson, Kodai Senga and Frankie Montas. Manaea's next start is scheduled for Wednesday. That game precedes an off day, giving the other starters an extra day of rest.
Plenty went into the way the Mets lined up their rotation. The Reds' worse numbers against lefties (.658 OPS compared to a .734 OPS against right-handers) played a role. New York also took into consideration how things looked over the next four weeks. In addition, it wanted enough space between Manaea and Senga, who just came off the injured list last Friday. Neither pitcher is expected to provide much length quite yet.
While Senga lasted just four innings and 67 pitches in his latest start, Manaea has yet to reach 75 pitches in any outing, including rehab appearances, so far in 2025. During his rehab, he threw 73 pitches before suffering a setback, his second of the year (the other involved his oblique), because of a loose body in his elbow. In his final rehab start, Manaea threw 65 pitches. On Sunday, he threw 65 again, that time through 3 1/3 innings of relief.
'Is it a challenge? Maybe,' Mendoza said with a smile in regards to navigating games with his pitchers unable to get deep into them, 'but it is what it is.'
Manaea's volume is lacking, but his stuff at least has looked sharp. On Friday, he recorded six strikeouts after racking up seven in his previous outing. Mendoza said he was 'pretty confident' Manaea would be able to cover more innings at some point soon, though it's unclear precisely when. Manaea said he felt healthy and anticipated lasting longer in his next outing, but was unable to provide specifics.
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'You're not going to go from 60 to 85 right away, especially for a guy who has been through a lot,' Mendoza said. 'Hopefully, the next time out, we can increase his pitch count a little bit more obviously.'
While the Mets evaluate their rotation and look for bullpen upgrades, they need to take a long look at their lineup, too. Reds lefty starter Nick Lodolo held them to two runs and four hits through seven innings. Against the Reds' bullpen, the Mets rallied in the ninth inning for two more runs and loaded the bases for Francisco Lindor, but he popped out to end the game. Nothing should be ruled out, but center field is primed for an upgrade. Jeff McNeil has filled in admirably, but Jose Siri (fractured tibia) has yet to resume running and defensive standout Tyrone Taylor (0-for-3 on Friday) hasn't hit enough (.574 OPS).
Indeed, there is plenty for the Mets to sort out regarding different segments of their roster with just under two weeks remaining until the July 31 trade deadline. But even in that context, upgrading the bullpen stands out as a given.
'We are going to need length out of the starters,' Mendoza said. 'Obviously, with Sean, that's where we are at, but guys will step up. We feel comfortable with the guys that we got back there (in the bullpen). Today was one of those nights where Carrillo didn't have it. But, overall, we will continue to give opportunities to some of these guys. We know the main guys who have been here the whole year. And we'll continue to evaluate the situation here while we try to win baseball games, obviously.'
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