METS EYE MIGHTY PEN
AMAZIN’S FOCUS ON RELIEF AT GM MEETINGS
CARLSBAD, Calif. — Bad bullpen investments have become as much a fabric of the Mets organization in recent years as the team mascot, Mr. Met.
And team officials will arrive Monday for the general managers’ meetings aware that improvement in 2019 will be next to impossible without throwing money at a bullpen that was among the worst in the major leagues last season.
In a market that includes Craig Kimbrel, Adam Ottavino, Zach Britton, Andrew Miller, David Robertson, Joe Kelly and Jeurys Familia, the Mets expect to be active. The question is: Can the new regime headed by GM Brodie Van Wagenen reverse the organization’s fortunes in this vital area?
Anthony Swarzak was last offseason’s bullpen bust. The righthander received a two-year deal worth $14 million from the Mets last December — as other bigger-ticket relievers were quickly accepting deals — and proceeded to spend half of the season on the disabled list. In 29 appearances, he posted a 6.15 ERA and 1. 595 WHIP, leaving a gaping hole in a bullpen that was forced to rely too heavily on former starters Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman.
It continued a trend of freeagent flops during GM Sandy
Alderson’s regime that included Fernando Salas, Antonio Bastardo, Frank Francisco, Jon Rauch and D.J. Carrasco. Another veteran the Mets were counting on last season, AJ Ramos — he was tendered a contract for $9.2 million last winter after arriving in a trade with the Marlins the previous summer — underwent surgery for a torn labrum in his right shoulder last June after pitching ineffectively for two months.
Alderson’s strength in acquiring bullpen help was largely through in-season trades (see Addison Reed and Tyler Clippard in 2015 and Salas in ’16). But a combination of bad bullpen luck and signings the last two years played a significant role in the team’s collapse.
But the Mets also avoided the high end of the relief market during Alderson’s regime: Francisco Rodriguez’s addition before the 2009 season represents the team’s last free-agent splash in the bullpen.
The 30-year-old Kimbrel, who saved 42 games for the Red Sox last season, is the sexiest of the names available this winter. But will an organization that has acted conservatively on the free-agent front in recent seasons be willing to spend top dollar on a closer? There might not be
another
pitcher on the market whose addition would signal the Mets are committed to contending for the postseason in 2019.
The next level includes relievers such as Ottavino, Britton and Miller, all of whom would represent a significant upgrade over the caliber of relievers the Mets pursued during Alderson’s regime.
Robertson has pitched extensively with the Yankees and could be a fit given his relationship with pitching coach Dave Eiland (he previously worked in The Bronx). Likewise, manager Mickey Callaway has a fondness for Miller from their time with the Indians (Callaway was Cleveland’s pitching coach before coming to the Mets).
Another option would be Familia, who was dealt to Oakland at last season’s trade deadline for reliever Bobby Wahl. From a public relations standpoint, Familia’s return wouldn’t resonate: The right-hander is still all too remembered for his meltdowns in the 2015 World Series and 2016 wildcard game, and a second act in Flushing would signify the Mets trying to keep the band together — a tact that was employed last offseason, when Jay Bruce and Jose Reyes returned on free-agent deals.