Reese Kaplan -- Free Agent Relievers to Target

It’s oft been said that the pen is mightier than the sword.  In baseball terms, the pen is often the margin of error between preserving victories or giving away leads in games that should easily have been won.  By now you’re all aware that in the 2019 season the Mets had the ignominious distinction of leading the league in blown saves with a not-so-sweet 16 of them between the triumvirate of Edwin Diaz, Jeurys Familia and Seth Lugo.  Job number one (once a manager is selected) is fixing the pen.  Haven’t we seen this movie before?  Come to think of it, didn’t we see it almost every year under Sandy Alderson as well?

There are a number of pending free agents worth exploring, but you have to go into the exercise recognizing that they are not trading closer Edwin Diaz and it’s highly unlikely they will trade Jeurys Familia off the season he just produced.  Consequently, get the idea of closers out of your head like the Giants’ Will Smith or the Yankees’ Aroldis Chapman.  They will be in the market for more Justin Wilson setup types.  Fortunately, there are quite a few decent options out there.

On the major league deal-worthy group, there are a few familiar faces.  Joe Smith, the sidearmer who was once a Met, has put together a terrific career in that role and is now doing the same for the Houston Astros.  He commands big money -- $8 million during 2019 – so, moving right along…

Yusmeiro Petit is another former Met who seemingly does it with mirrors, but has turned in year after year of respectable pitching.  He’s also on the upper tier of the setup payroll spectrum, so I don’t think he’s probably what they’re seeking either.

Another one I've always coveted is the Cubs' Steve Cishek.  He's been a closer in the past and even managed to notch 7 saves this past season.  The sidearmer set a Marlins record with 33 saves in a row at one point.  He earned $6.25 million this past year and despite turning 35 during 2020 he's likely to command a similar salary which may be too rich for the Mets' blood (though they did throw $10 million AAV for three years to Jeurys Familia).  

That brings me to the three pitchers I think need to get some primary focus.  Just as there’s a conventional wisdom about selling high, there’s a parallel axiom about buying low.  Look at pitchers who have had credible careers but hit a misstep in 2019.  They might be ripe for the discounted picking and we know how well that will resonate with the Mets.  

The first is lefty Tony Watson.  He’s pitched effectively for the Pirates, Dodgers and one out of two years for the Giants.  Despite a career ERA of just 2.81, he only earned $2.5 million this past season and has a player option to get that same salary again.  His maximum saves number was 15 as he’s always been more of a complementary piece rather than “the” guy.  2019 was not kind to him, with his ERA shooting up to 4.17 and his customarily impressive WHIP becoming a bit more pedestrian at 1.259, but he still exhibited his excellent control.  With Will Smith probably looking for greener pastures, Watson may want to stay in SF with the hopes of becoming a more prominent part of their pen, but dangling a modest $3.5 million contract at him might lure him into switching coasts.  At age 35 during 2020 you won’t have to lock him up long term. 

A similar situation exists with longtime Chicago Cub Pedro Strop.  His 2019 was forgettable with a 4.97 ERA, but in the six full seasons prior to that his HIGHEST recorded ERA was just 2.91.  He’s another buy-low candidate who, at age 35 during the 2020 season is not going to get closer money.  His ending salary in Chicago was a somewhat hefty $6.25 million, but between his last season’s output and his age, it’s likely he can be had for quite a bit less for the upcoming season.

The third candidate is like the Energizer Bunny.  He just keeps chugging along and at age 37 during 2020 he probably has at least one more good year in the tank.  Sergio Romo has a career 2.92 ERA primarily as a setup guy since giving up the closer’s job after a three-year run from 2012 to 2014 for the Giants.  This past year for the Twins and Marlins he did rack up 20 saves, but he’s not primary closer material anymore.  His career record is over 10 Ks per 9 IP and just 2.1 BBs.  He earned just $2.5 million last year.

There’s another group of guys who have been good in the past and either are coming off injury or a terrible season but should be worth minor league invitations.  This group would include three familiar faces in Luis Avilan, Jerry Blevins and Addison Reed.  There’s also one former short-time Met, Darren O’Day, who is definitely worth a look.  In addition, I would also look to see if some more time off to heal was beneficial to Trevor Rosenthal and I’d also look to invite Seunghwan Oh who has had just this one bad year after several very good ones. 

Then there’s always the trade route…