3 Mets pitchers who should get their share of relief innings in 2021

Sean Reid-Foley is another young starting pitcher the Mets may get more out of as a reliever

Around the same age as Yamamoto is Sean Reid-Foley. He arrived in New York this winter in the Steven Matz trade. A better MLB career thus far at 5-8 with a 4.40 ERA, Reid-Foley is a guy the Toronto Blue Jays had already thought about moving to the bullpen last year.

After some struggles starting in 2018 and again in 2019, Reid-Foley looked good in limited action last year. He turned in a 1.35 ERA in his 6.2 innings. Hardly enough to judge him, he still struggled with his control. This has been a theme throughout his professional career, even in the minor leagues.

Reid-Foley has seen his ups and downs on the farm. He had a 6.47 ERA in 2019 while pitching in Triple-A. However, one year earlier in a season where he spent time in Double-A and Triple-A, he looked much better when he was 12-5 with a 3.26 ERA in 24 starts.

There’s less doubt in my mind that we ever see Reid-Foley start a game for the Mets than Yamamoto. He has already made the transition to the bullpen and performed well. Considering the other options the Mets have available to them to begin a game, I would like to see what Reid-Foley can do as a full-time relief pitcher.

Reid-Foley was officially promoted to the Mets on April 22. Taking Trevor Hildenberger’s spot on the roster, he’ll need to pitch well for a prolonged time to stay in the majors and not get swapped out for someone else at the alternative site.