Every NY Mets fan should have the same thought about their latest free agent signing

It's the worst-kept secret in the league that the Mets are in need of a left-handed reliever. They lost arguably their best reliever, A.J. Minter, to season-ending surgery on a torn left lat. They have also lost Danny Young to Tommy John surgery. The only lefty they had on the big league roster is Genesis Cabrera.

While Cabrera has been an average reliever over his career, the Mets desperately need someone more reliable. Someone they can turn to in a high-leverage situation and trust they will get them through it unscathed. The Mets believed they had found him, signing Colin Poche to a minor league contract. Although it appears to be a small move, it could provide high reward for the Mets.

Why Colin Poche can be the next reclamation project for the Mets

At first glance, Poche does not inspire much confidence. In 2025, he pitched eight and two-thirds innings for the Nationals, registering an 11.42 ERA with 10 strikeouts to 12 walks, a 2.538 WHIP, and an ERA+ of 37. While these numbers look terrible, it's a very small sample size. While it's true relievers can be sporadic, it's hard to say he's having a down year when he has not pitched ten innings.

It's also an outlier from what he's done throughout his career. He spent the last six years with the Rays, missing two due to Tommy John Surgery. When he was on the mound, he pitched to a 3.63 ERA over 208 and a third innings, with 230 strikeouts to 78 walks, a 1.099 WHIP, and an ERA+ of 112.

The main problem for Poche this season has been the ineffectiveness of his fastball. According to Baseball Savant, opposing hitters currently have a .423 wOBA and a batting average of .304 against it. These are well above his career trends, as his fastball usually has a wOBA of .296 and a batting average of .212.

While the numbers are ugly, the problem with his fastball could be something as simple as Poche getting unlucky. While the opposing batting average is bad, the expected batting average on it is .232. This means that the hitters' contact with it should result in outs, but for one reason or another, it has not this season.

Another positive sign that Poche can still be a good start is his slider has remained effective. While his slider has produce a wOBA of .423, it has a batting average of .250. This is right in line with where his slider has been his entire career. The inflated wOBA could be due to the sample size being small, and the hits that are made off it go for extra bases.

Regardless of whatever caused Poche's slow start, fans should be confident that the pitching lab will figure it out. While people like to talk about the success the pitching lab has had with starters, relievers have also been able to turn their careers around because of it. Guys like Huascar Brazoban, Reed Garrett, and Max Kranick have the Mets' pitching lab to thank for their recent success.

While Poche will go down to Triple-A Syracuse to start his time as a Met, it will not be long until we see him on the Citi Field mound.