Free agency may give Mets relief
The bullpen comes first for the Mets.
As team officials consider their myriad of needs this offseason — another power bat and starting pitching among them — the top priority, according to club sources, is finding another arm that can complement Jeurys Familia, AJ Ramos and Jerry Blevins in the late innings.
Options are plentiful in free agency, even discounting high-end closers Wade Davis and Greg Holland, neither of whom likely factors into the equation for the Mets.
Instead, team brass is expected to choose from a group that includes Bryan Shaw, Brandon Morrow, Luke Gregerson, Brandon Kintzler, Matt Albers and Mike Minor, among others.
And a reunion with Addison Reed, whom the Mets sent to the Red Sox at the non-waiver trade deadline for three minor league pitchers, can’t be discounted.
But Shaw’s history with manager Mickey Callaway could make the durable right-hander the Mets’ preferred option. Callaway spent five seasons as Shaw’s pitching coach with the Indians, a stretch in which Shaw emerged among the game’s best in the setup role, averaging 75.6 appearances.
Morrow began last season on a minor-league contract with the Dodgers and became a key component in the team’s run to the World Series. The right-hander, who posted a 2.06 ERA in 45 appear- ances, was a primary setup option to Kenley Jansen, giving the Dodgers maybe the premier 1-2 punch in the major leagues.
The right-hander Gregerson had a down year with the Astros, pitching to a 4.57 ERA in 65 appearances, but previously had been among the game’s most dependable in the setup role.
Kintzler had a solid season for the Twins and Nationals. Albers rebounded from a disappointing season with the White Sox to post a 1.62 ERA in 63 appearances for the Nationals.
Minor had a dominant season for the Royals — under Dave Eiland, who was hired last week as Callaway’s pitching coach — and would give the Mets another lefty to pair with Blevins.
Josh Smoker was the primary second lefty option last season, but left-handed hitters posted an .849 OPS against him.
The Mets entered last season believing they had enough bullpen depth to compete for the playoffs. But Familia developed a blood clot in his right shoulder that forced surgery and Fernando Salas, who returned last winter on a one-year contract, was a colossal bust.
It left the Mets to depend largely on Reed, and the right-hander was the team’s most dependable reliever for the second straight year, before he was dealt to the Red Sox on July 31. With an eye toward 2018, general manager Sandy Alderson acquired Ramos in a trade with the Marlins on July 28, giving the Mets another proven
option.