Rays’ magic seems to have worn off with former NY Mets player

The Tampa Bay Rays lost Game 1 to the Cleveland Guardians on Monday. Was it a case of too much time in between games? The Rays swept the New York Yankees. The Guardians didn’t wrap up their ALDS until Saturday. An impressive outing by starter Drew Rasmussen went to waste when the Tampa Bay bullpen blew it. A 4-3 Guardians lead got further out of hand in the ninth when former New York Mets pitcher Cole Sulser was charged with 3 earned runs in his 0.2 innings of work.

Forget about Sulser? His time with the Mets was brief. Just 4 games and 4.2 innings for the club in 2024, he was essentially an Austin Warren sitting on the roster. He managed to strike out 7 batters in his brief stint with New York but the 5 earned runs was enough for them to sell him off to the Rays.

Already in his age 34 season at the time, Sulser was a journeyman who’d been pitching random innings totals since debuting in 2019. After some big league success, notably throwing more than 60 innings and having a 2.70 ERA for the Baltimore Orioles in 2021, Tampa Bay managed to briefly unlock a new version of Sulser. It’s looking like that magic might have worn off.

Former Mets pitcher Cole Sulser didn’t impress in his postseason debut

Sulser had a so-so season with a 4.31 ERA in 56.1 innings for the Rays. In 2024, he threw 11.2 scoreless innings. He returned in 2025 to pitch 22.2 frames. He had a 1.99 ERA.

The victim of some bad luck, his 3.63 FIP tells us the Rays have reason to still believe in him. He throws strikes, issuing free passes at a 2.7 BB/9 rate this year. Just below a strikeout per inning at 8.9 K/9, he was a perfectly decent bullpen arm.

What damaged his season most in 2026 were back-to-back months with ERAs in the 7.00’s. In 18 total innings in May and June, Sulser surrendered 15 earned runs. He managed to finish the season strongly. A 0.77 WHIP in August with a 3.09 ERA and an even better run prevented 1.80 ERA in September gave the Rays no doubt he belonged in their postseason plans.

A single followed by a balk is how Sulser’s postseason career began. He followed it up with a strikeout and a lineout. Then came Jose Ramirez with a single to drive in a run. A wild pitch followed. Sulser ended up walking the final batter.

Pulled from the game following the free pass, his replacement allowed a two-run double to Jo Adell. Both runs were charged to Sulser.

The Rays have this reputation for turning just about anyone, pitchers in particular, into capable big leaguers. Sulser is one of those random examples. While he didn’t join them with a completely blank resume, he is very much a case study into what they do well with arms. The Mets disposed of him quickly and ever since he has been more trustworthy than not.

Players like Sulser are ones the David Stearns-led Mets have often sought for and have, at times, successfully stumbled on. Warren is an example of a waiver claim who has performed pretty well for them. Daniel Duarte was a successful minor league free agent. How can we forget about Rico Garcia who was improperly given up on in 2025 despite his success?

Sulser’s Baseball Savant page helps describe him in an interesting way. He was in the 91st percentile in Chase % but 2nd percentile in Barrel %. He’ll make you go after balls out of the zone. When contact is made, it tends to be right on the meat of the bat. It’s a dangerous way to live.

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