
One more bullpen arm can help us breathe better
I thought for sure the greatest trade deadline need for this club would be a relief pitcher. It’s often what teams shop for most around this time of year. Because, as anyone who has watched more than a season of baseball knows, relief pitchers are the least reliable of all athletes.
They tell you they’ll help you move then they don’t show up. You’re left trying to haul a couch down the stairs by yourself into the UHaul. The neighbors laugh rather than help and you really wish you had made a trade deadline move for a different buddy.
The Mets have gotten much more from their bullpen than anyone could have believed this year. Even so, adding one bullpen arm helps complete the trifecta for a perfect trade deadline.
There are a lot of guys the Mets could look into. What I would like to see most is a lefty. The club has gone almost all year with Aaron Loup as the lone or at least primary southpaw in the bullpen. It hasn’t been a problem because Loup has been terrific and the three-batter minimum rule pretty much eliminates the existence of lefty-specialists.
It would be nice to have at least one other left-handed pitcher to turn to. This doesn’t need to be someone who is unhittable versus lefty hitters. In fact, I would like the balance. His greatest asset might not be so much fooling left-handed hitters as much as it is that he changes the point of view batters see the ball coming from.
The move: Trade for any left reliever and hope it works
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What do you think would make for a perfect Mets trade deadline this month?