NY Mets claim Braves reliever with an ERA almost as bad as Ryan Helsley

They were supposed to have the best bullpen in baseball. Now, they're acquiring high-ERA guys off waivers to provide support to a 'pen that's struggled so immensely since the trade deadline that should've bolstered it. Per Mike Puma of the NY Post, the New York Mets have claimed right-handed reliever Wander Suero off waivers from the Atlanta Braves. Suero, age 33, has a career ERA of 4.96 across seven years of service. His ERA this season stands at 11.37, allowing eight runs in just 6.1 innings. Mets fans are already joking about the acquisition:

Can Wander Suero give the Mets anything?

With a bullpen that's already been struggling, it may initially be puzzling to understand why the Mets would add another reliever who's been having just as much, if not more, trouble than the current guys on the team.

However, it's impossible to deny the fact that the Mets' bullpen has been ferociously overworked; the acquisition of Suero is likely meant to provide some relief, especially when these players have been out there (and struggling) on a near-daily basis. Suero should hopefully add to the aid of a bullpen that has encountered difficulty without much help from their starting pitchers, along with the late call-ups of Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, and now Brandon Sproat.

Not only has McLean been lights-out this season, but more importantly, he has pitched over five innings in each of his first four starts. Tong has only made one appearance thus far, but he went five innings as well, something Mets relievers have been deprived of nearly the entire second half of the season. Having more starters that can provide length, along with adding an extra bullpen arm like Suero to divide the workload, can hopefully bring the bullpen back to a state of somewhat normalcy.

Just because the Mets claimed Suero off waivers doesn't mean they expect him to make an immediate impact. They signed Kevin Herget to a minor-league deal back in July and now he's up with the major league team, with two recent appearances in which he pitched over two innings of work; one of them was even a scoreless outing, against the Marlins on August 28th. Acquisitions like these are simply meant to free the bullpen of workload when needed, especially during blowouts and non-competitive games.

By taking some weight off the shoulders of his fellow relievers in the bullpen, Suero's claim could end up being a move that benefits the Mets in a greater way than people expect -- especially in the midst of a playoff race, when they'll need their bullpen back in top-notch condition.