3 pitchers the Mets beat up in the postseason they could look to acquire this offseason

3) Jeff Hoffman

In his first All-Star season, Jeff Hoffman proved to be an integral piece of the Phillies bullpen en route to its 12th division title. But as the Mets offense tagged the reliever in key late-inning situations in both Game 1 and Game 3 of the NLCS, it’s another instance of whether you evaluate a player’s body of work, or microcosms of underperformance when it matters the most.

While the Mets will be feasting on the marquee free agents and flashy names to add to their roster during the baseball season hiatus, a complete championship roster is supplemented by prudent moves and adding at the margins. Hoffman would profile as being one of those pieces. In his tenure with the Phillies, Hoffman served as a high-leverage arm, tallying 11 saves, 2.28 ERA, and .94 WHIP through nearly 120 innings.

What makes the case for Hoffman so intriguing is the valuation possibility of converting the soon-to-be 32-year-old right-handed reliever to a backend starter. Before being moved to the Cincinnati Reds bullpen in 2021, Hoffman was a rotational piece with the Reds and Rockies during the early portions of his career. With the success he garnered this year, perhaps he will take one more crack at the starting role.

Given the state of the Mets' pitching staff, adding Hoffman would be a “killing two birds with one stone” move. At the right price, the addition of Hoffman may be reflected upon as one of the key additions the Mets made to pursue a deep postseason run.