3 NY Mets prospects who could be this year’s Dedniel Nunez

3) Trey McLoughlin

Another Mets minor leaguer beginning to show flashes of being a candidate to join the big league club is Trey McLoughlin. A 16th round draft pick from 2021, the righty reliever may also be another year away from being a legitimate consideration for the bullpen, however, a strong start could have him doing his best impression of Nunez and pushing past some of the veteran additions this offseason.

McLoughlin has progressively lowered his ERA in each season. In full seasons, it has gone from 3.71 to 2.79 to last year’s 2.34. An acceptable walk rate of 3.1 per 9 and favorable 10.5 strikeouts per 9, McLoughlin is a guy who seems capable of getting results. 

The walks did increase last year in a season spent mostly in Double-A. However, a 1.89 ERA in 33.1 innings of work is tough to criticize. He made his way to Triple-A for 9 innings. He should begin the season with Syracuse as he vies to become a candidate to help out the Mets this coming year.

More consistently successful in the minors and experience as a reliever, he’d probably be the best choice from this list to be a relief option. As long as he doesn’t hit the wall so many Mets pitchers seem to smack into headfirst in Triple-A, look for McLoughlin to compete for a bullpen role in the very near future. Handed 3 innings thus far this spring, the team sure seems to have at least some hope of McLoughlin being able to fight his way to the majors at some point in 2025.