Mets acquire lefty reliever Alex Torres for Cory Mazzoni and PTBNL

The Mets announced Monday that they have acquired left-handed reliever Alex Torres from the Padres in exchange for Cory Mazzoni and a PTBNL.

Torres, 27, had a 3.33 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in 54 innings pitched (70 appearances) last season for San Diego.

Torres, who debuted with the Rays in 2011 and has three years of major league time under his belt, has a career 2.55 ERA and 1.22 WHIP.

Torres allowed lefties to hit .247/.415/.322 last season, walking roughly one fifth of the left-handers he faced.

For his career, Torres has held lefties to a .212/.335/.270 line.

Torres primarily features a fastball that sits at 92.5 MPH, and a changeup. He’ll occasionally mix in a slider.

Thoughts:

While Alex Torres doesn’t appear to be a true lefty specialist, there’s plenty to like about this deal for the Mets.

For one, even though his numbers don’t suggest that he’s a true LOOGY (lefty one out guy), Torres has held lefties to a .270 slugging percentage over his career.

While he’s been better against right-handers than left-handers, what Torres does against everyone is keep the ball in the park. In roughly 120 major league innings, Torres has allowed just three home runs.

Torres does, however, need to work on his control.

What the Mets appear to have in Torres is a crossover guy who can get lefties out, but it would be smart to try out Sean Gilmartin as the true situational lefty.

Cory Mazzoni, who the Mets dealt to San Diego as part of the deal for Torres, could’ve been a bullpen option for the Mets later in the season, but he was blocked in the rotation. Mazzoni was ticketed for Triple-A Las Vegas, and will instead likely wind up in Triple-A with the Padres.

As Adam Rubin of ESPN New York pointed out, the PTBNL will likely be one of the Mets’ 2014 draft picks.

All in all, the Mets didn’t add a true situational lefty on Monday, but they did add someone who can get lefties and righties out while perhaps making Sean Gilmartin the true lefty situational guy.

The pen is both stronger and deeper, and that can’t be viewed as anything but a positive.