Surprising trade brings bullpen help to Citi

SEATTLE — In a surprise move aimed at improving their 2018 bullpen, the Mets acquired reliever AJ Ramos in a trade with the Marlins late Friday night.

The 30-year-old righty is 2-4 with a 3.63 ERA and 20 saves in 40 appearances this season.

The Mets surrendered minor league pitcher Merandy Gonzalez and outfielder Ricardo Cespedes in the deal.

Ramos, who is arbitration eligible, would join Jeurys Familia in giving the Mets a one-two punch at the back end of the bullpen next season. The Mets still are expected to trade Addison Reed, who is unsigned beyond this season, before Monday’s nonwaiver trade deadline.

The Nationals, Cubs, Rangers, Indians and Brewers also had interest in Ramos, but according to sources, the Mets moved swiftly over the past two days to pull together a deal.

On Thursday, the Mets also acquired potential bullpen help for next season when they traded Lu- cas Duda to the Rays for minor league righty reliever Drew Smith.

Since the start of 2016, Ramos — who was selected to the NL All-Star team this season — ranks sixth in the major leagues in save percentage, having converted 60-of-65 chances (92.3 percent).

Mets officials have been wary of searching for bullpen help on the free-agent market and see Ramos, who will earn about $2.5 million for the remainder of the season, as a safer bet. The Mets saved about $2.8 million by trading Duda.

The Mets are hopeful the combination of Fa- milia — who is expected to return next month from surgery to remove a blood clot in his right shoulder — and Ramos can carry the late innings.

T.J. Rivera’s season could be in jeopardy, following the diagnosis of a partial tear to the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.

The Mets infielder received a platelet-richplasma injection and was placed on the 10-day disabled list Friday, removing one of the team’s hottest hitters from the roster.

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