NY Mets: 3 preseason predictions everyone seemed to get wrong

Jeurys Familia is cooked

How will the Mets part ways with Jeurys Familia? Can they dump his contract in a blockbuster deal? Will Steve Cohen and his billions of dollars simply DFA the veteran reliever?

Instead of taking either of those actions, the Mets rolled into the 2021 season with Familia in an unfamiliar role: pitching middle relief innings in lower leverage situations than he typically has.

This didn’t last too long. Familia proved there’s blood still flowing through his veins. Quickly, he became a setup man. On days when Edwin Diaz has been unavailable, the Mets have even turned to him to finish games. There’s a possibility Familia ends up leading the pitching staff in wins this year. As unpredictable as this is, it does showcase a little about how effective Familia has been.

Looking beyond just this anomaly, Familia has been successful at preventing runs even while tossing a career-worst 8 pitches that went yard. He has been exactly what the team needed him to be these last three seasons, setting himself up nicely for a wider market in free agency this winter.

I can’t blame anyone for thinking Familia was done entering this season. After how badly 2019 went and uncertainty about his 2020 results, it made a lot of sense to write him off. Familia stepped up and I give him credit for being one of the team’s best relievers.

If you were insistent that Familia is cooked, you might take some personal solace in his recent performance. He’s beginning to look like nothing more than a mop-up man.

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Which other preseason predictions do you think everyone unanimously got wrong?