Mets Rumors: Examining the chances of acquiring a star this winter

Reliever Liam Hendriks

There has been a Mets rumor floating around over the last week or so that the front office has an interest in free-agent relief pitcher Liam Hendriks. Hendriks who is heavily considered the best free-agent reliever available on the open market is somebody Team President Sandy Alderson is familiar with Hendriks from his recent time spent in the Oakland Athletics organization.

It seems that Hendriks is being painted currently as more of a fallback option depending on what happens with free agents George Springer and Trevor Bauer. Last season Hendriks produced 14 saves, a 1.78 ERA, and a 0.67 WHIP while whiffing 37 batters in 25.1 innings pitched for the Athletics last season.

Should the Mets sign Hendriks, you would automatically assume that he becomes the favorite for eighth-inning duties, and he could give currently projected closer Edwin Diaz a run for his money should he struggle at any point in 2021. But as previously stated it seems Hendriks may not be a priority right now for the front office, but they have simply done their due diligence on the current free agent in case other dominoes don’t fall their way.

With all of that being said, I give the Mets a 25% chance of signing Hendriks this offseason. I believe there will be continued interest shown by the front office as Hendriks would markedly upgrade the current bullpen in place, but until there is a resolution with both George Springer and Trevor Bauer, I believe Hendriks will remain on the backburner for now. However, don’t bank on the Mets rumors surrounding the former A’s closer to go away anytime soon.

The percentage Liam Hendriks signs with New York Mets: 25%