Paul Articulates – Make progress elsewhere

Mind if I talk about something other than Yoshinobu Yamamoto?  It seems like that has been the topic of the day every day since the outrageous Ohtani signing.

The New York Mets have some significant needs to be “competitive” in 2024.  They are looking for a corner outfielder, lots of relief help, and multiple starting pitchers.  Whether or not they are successful in signing that subject I am not talking about today, the other needs are still there.

So why wait?  I know that the traditional market tends to domino down from the top free agents to the next few tiers, but there is no need for the front office to wait to see how much change is left in their pocket.  They will have some left.  This became crystal clear when the Tyler Glasnow trade to the Dodgers and then the Lourdes Gurriel signing by the Diamondbacks was announced.

I would actually like to start in the bullpen.  The game has evolved to the point where even if you have premier starting pitching on the roster (remember 2023?), you still have to fill many innings to close out a victory.  It is not good enough that Edwin Diaz will be back to shut down opponents in the ninth inning – the team needs to get there with a lead.  

Even if the Mets sign two strong new starting pitchers, they will not have the kind of depth that gets them through bad days, injuries, and bad luck.  One cannot count on the pitching prospects coming up through the system to be there in 2024, so the only prudent approach is to sign a few long arms and a few arms capable of pitching the 7th and 8th innings.

Who do we have today?  Excluding closer Edwin Diaz and with undefined roles for Megill, Peterson, and Lucchesi, the Mets’ pen looks like this:

Other than Raley and Reid-Foley (who didn’t pitch much due to injuries), none of these guys had an ERA under four and only Tonkin had a WHIP under 1.25.  The career numbers don’t look much better with only one (Smith) under an ERA of four and two (Raley and Bickford) with WHIP under 1.25.

To strengthen the bullpen for the year ahead, I think the Mets front office should go after some quality relievers right away.  Some of the names that I like from the list of relievers who threw over 50 innings last year are listed in the table below.  

Many pitch in the NL Central, which has been very agreeable to trades with the Mets before – so go after them!  Of course, all of us would love to have Colin Holderman back, but I’m not playing favorites – all of these folks pitched well last year, have withstood the test of time, and may be available for the right trade chips – like an Omar Narvaez or the recently acquired Joey Wendle.  

None make an outrageous salary (except 38 year old David Robertson who I threw in there for fun).  Many are still under team control, so they would be acquired in trades, though some are free agents coming off one year deals (like Suter).

Have at it, mister Stearns – you have a few contacts in the NL central.  It will give you something to do while you are waiting for an answer from the guy we’re not talking about today.