Should the Mets consider bringing in Addison Reed?

Former New York Mets pitcher Addison Reed was recently released by the Minnesota Twins and is currently a free agent. Should the Mets bring him back to Queens?

Relief pitcher Addison Reed first joined the New York Mets late in the 2015 season. During the stretch run, he was a key member of the bullpen for the club’s eventual World Series run.

He remained under contract with the Mets for the 2016 season, where we went on to have the best season of his career, appearing in 80 games, pitching 77.2 innings with a 1.97 ERA while he served as the set-up-man for then closer Jeurys Familia.

The 2017 season was his final year in Queens. He took over as closer that year for the Mets, appearing in 48 games, pitching 49.0 innings with a 2.57 ERA, recording 19 saves before he was traded to the Boston Red Sox.

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The following offseason, he signed a 2-year $16.75 million contract with the Minnesota Twins. He appeared in 55 games with a 4.50 ERA for the Twins in 2018 and began the 2019 season on the injured list before being released from the club in May after struggling during his rehab assignment.

The Mets have had their own share of injuries in 2019 (as the seemingly do every year), as well as having inconsistent play from many of those in their bullpen. With one of their most successful relievers in recent history currently a free agent, this begs the question, should the Mets consider bringing in Addison Reed?

New York has employed several older players on minor league contracts this season, most notably Carlos Gomez, Adeiny Hechavarria, and Luis Avilan, who are currently on the major league roster. In Avilan’s case, he’s sitting on the IL.

They also recently signed former All-Stars Matt Kemp and Ervin Santana to minor league contracts as well to report to the club’s Triple-A team, so it’s not like they are opposed to bringing in struggling veterans to give them a shot.

Going into their series against the Dodgers, the bullpen had a combined ERA of 4.29, and have had 18 different pitchers appear in relief for the team after only 52 games, so saying that they have lacked consistency from their pen would be an understatement.

On a minor league contract, bringing back Reed would be a low risk, potentially high reward scenario. He was a very consistent pitcher with New York during his time with the club and bringing him back to an environment and a team he was comfortable with could be what he needs to get his career back on track.

If he could regain his old form, he would be a massive upgrade over many of the current members of the Mets bullpen and would be a welcome addition to what has been one of the weaker points of New York’s team.

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Especially on a minor league deal, it doesn’t make sense why they should pass over him. At the very least, he’s worth a look.