The regular season is done (and so are the Mets & Yanks), so it is officially "Hot Stove" season in New York. This is our daily open thread to discuss the many possibilities in the Mets' first off-season headed by a President Of Baseball Operations (POBO). There are many intriguing story lines and rumors already spinning around in the media, so this is your opportunity to weigh in with your thoughts.
Today's topic: What do you think is the right approach to re-build the Mets' relief pitching for 2024?
13 comments:
Last year, Elizer Hernandez got hurt, so did Edwin Diaz, so did Montes de Oca… that changed the bullpen considerably…. If you add these guys to Robertson, Smith, Raley, Ottavino, that’s seven good ones right there.
I’d like to have Robertson back as well on another 1 year deal. If not him Matt Moore would be great on a 1 year deal. Nathan Lavender deserves serious consideration. 2.98 ERA over AA/AAA, 86 K’s over 54.1 innings.
Mack,
I would like to see if either Peterson or Megill are options as relief pitchers.I may be mistaken, but I believe Jeff Reardon and Rick Aguilera were both starting pitchers before becoming outstanding relief pitchers for other teams.
I would like to see the Mets resign Roberson as a set-up man.
I agree on both points
I think the Mets need to improve their starting pitching. Yamamoto is definitely a must.
Maybe a trade for a starting pitcher.
Need to improve their bullpen dramatically. Need to bring in many hopefully decent FA relievers.
Need help in the Outfield. Do not trust Marte to be healthy. If Juan Soto is available go after him. If we get him maybe then Alonso is available on the trade market. Not sure if he can keep up his numbers. Plus I feel he can not hit very good MLB pitchers. I like him a lot but I see his vulnerability.
The Mets have four starting pitchers on their 40 man roster that they have to decide what to do with them. Peterson, Megill, Luchessi and Butto. Are they depth pitchers? Are they maybe relievers? Will they compete for a starting job in spring training?
We will probably have Vasil, Hamel, Scott at AAA to start the season so we may already have depth starting pitching.
My approach:
(1) Use less relief pitchers
(2) No WBC is 2024
To expound on (1) above, if you have a bullpen full of guys that can only throw one inning, you burn through that pen in a hurry when your starters are only throwing 4 or 5. They need to lengthen both their starting pitching and their relief guys. I get the closer being a special breed and limit Diaz to just being a closer, but everybody else needs to stretch out to be able to pitch at least 2, more like three innings - up to 50 pitches an outing.
Diaz coming back makes the pen stronger automatically.
As far as adding to it, I get that Robertson had a great year, but I am not into giving deals to signing 39 year olds. Hader is the best of the FA list, but I don't think he is a good fit - he is a closer and we don't need another one.
Syndergaard has failed miserably as a starter for a half-decade now, but he is still relatively young - any chance he has enough arm left to be a good bullpen option?
I hope they exercise their $6.5M option for Raley.
Lavender should be an MLB arm by next year.
Obviously the flexibility of the players with options is a good thing to have, but the constant moving guys up and down is maddening. It would be nice to have a bit more stability.
Other teams DFA and waiver wire pick-ups are filler for not so good teams. The Mets used that path way too much in '23.
I agree with R69 that Robertson may not be as effective in the future as he was in the past - 39 is pretty old, even for a relief pitcher to meet the physical demands of a full season.
It will be great to get Diaz back, but you need to be ahead or tied to take advantage of his skills. This year's pen was just a string of disasters, with many failures to hold leads or keep things tight in the late game. Ottavino was remarkably inconsistent, and that is a bad trait to have as a late inning bullpen option. Bickford, Brigham, Coonrod, Garrett, Hartwig, and Gott were completely unreliable. They are all expendable.
Stearns/Eppler should completely remake that bullpen around Diaz. Assume next year's starters are not going to get deep, so make long relievers out of the pitching talent in the minors. Then get solid arms for the 7th and 8th. Maybe Raley, maybe someone from that exceptional Cincinnatti pen like Sam Moll or Alexis Diaz if you can pull it off.
If you turn both Peterson and Megill into 2.inning relievers this will lower the use of the pen
Diaz would be a hoot
MeGill,Peterson,Butto,and Luchessi should be in the BP unless they stink up the joint in ST or win a starting job. More valuable pitching 60-70 innings in the BP then stashing them inSyracuse for 4-5 emergency starts.
If you’re not good enough to play SS you switch positions. If your not good enough to start you switch to RP.
I would clone Diaz.
Not to plan to over-rely on them for heavy listing, but Lavender, Gervase and possibly Orze are 3 strikeout generating relievers who were really tough in the minors all year (first two) or great down the stretch after a Rocky season (Orze).
But go outside to pick up a few arms. Over-stock, sell surplus, if any, at the break. Too many injury make a solid plan crumble without more depth.
Mets won the Marlins rain shortened game, 1-0.
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