NY Mets: Grading each of the major moves made last offseason

Aaron Loup

Hands down the best signing the Mets made was signing Aaron Loup on a one-year $3 million dollar deal. For me, Loup was my third choice for a left-handed arm last offseason.

My top choice was Brad Hand who was non-tendered by Cleveland right as Cohen became the Mets owner. Sandy Alderson would go on to say that if Cohen’s regime was in place earlier that the Mets might have claimed him off of waivers.

The Mets of course did end up with Hand in September and he was decent for the Mets but nowhere near as productive as Aaron Loup was.

My second choice was for the Mets to retain Justin Wilson who was so good for the Mets in 2019 and 2020. Wilson would sign with the Yankees and underperform to the point where they traded him to save money at the deadline. It’s safe to say the Mets hit the jackpot with Loup.

Loup finished with a 6-0 record, posting an ERA of 0.95 in 65 appearances and 56.2 innings.

He did this in a bunch of different roles. He served as an opener twice, made six appearances recording more than three outs, and would even serve as a late-game reliever sometimes.

With the three-batter rule in place, Loup couldn’t just be a lefty specialist in most cases. He’d have to get right-handers out and did so very successfully.

In a division with superstar left-handed hitters like Bryce Harper, Juan Soto, and Freddie Freeman, Loup had his hands full all year and was dominant all year.

He allowed a total of six earned runs in 56.2 innings pitched. He allowed a total of one earned run in the second half, pitching to a 0.31 ERA in 28.2 innings pitched.

Loup held lefties to a .167/.226/.214 slash line, allowing a total of two extra-base hits.

It was one of the best years for a reliever in Mets history and Loup is a must sign this offseason.

Grade: A+