A legitimate NY Mets concern fans aren’t talking about enough

The New York Mets have been quite active this off-season. They’ve made huge upgrades in their outfield. Jose Siri is one of the best defenders in the sport, and Juan Soto signed the most expensive and longest contract in professional sports history and adds one of the best hitters in the game today. Along with that, the Mets have reinforced the rotation, re-signing Sean Manaea while bringing in Clay Holmes and Frankie Montas.

While these are all good additions, there is a real concern that the Mets haven’t resolved and needs to be pointed out: it’s the bullpen. Last season, the Mets’ bullpen was not bad, but it wasn’t great either. Mets relievers had a 4.03 ERA, 3.86 FIP, and 1.28 WHIP. The Mets’ bullpen arms were about middle of the pack in all three statistics. They did rank top ten in xFIP (3.81) and SIERA (3.51), but the bottom line wasn’t overly impressive.

But the Mets’ lack of a deep bullpen was exposed during the postseason. The bullpen accounted for 56.2 of the innings Mets pitchers threw and allowed 35 earned runs, 11 home runs, and 33 walks. The Mets’ starters didn’t do horrible, with a 4.26 ERA, and their bats averaged nearly five runs a game. The bullpen let the Mets down terribly in the Postseason.

A look at the depth chart shows that the Mets need to address this soon. Edwin Diaz has the closer role on lockdown. Reed Garrett is likely currently penciled in as his set-up man. Garrett had an up-and-down 2024, being dominant at times but struggling greatly during multiple stretches throughout the season. Sean Reid-Foley and Dedniel Nunez pitched exceptionally well, but neither pitched very much nor have a track record of doing so. For Nunez, 2024 was his rookie year. 

The Mets need more bullpen reinforcements ASAP.

The rest of the depth chart does not inspire much confidence. Dylan Covey has a career ERA over 6.00. Justin Hageman averaged over two home runs every nine innings in 91 IP at Triple-A last year. Kevin Herget has only pitched 42 Major League innings across three seasons with just a 96 ERA+. Both Tylor Megill and Jose Butto may be given a chance to round out the rotation.

Another issue is that the Mets only have one lefty in the bullpen: Danny Young. Young had a 4.54 ERA but had some strong peripherals. He struck out nearly 30% of opponents with a 29.1% K%, held opponents to a 6.5% barrel rate and 0.72 HR/9, and had a 3.64 xFIP and 3.22 SIERA. But he remains their only LHRP as of right now.

On the positive side, the Mets still have plenty of time and options to fix the bullpen. The top relief pitchers on the free agent market, like Tanner Scott, Jeff Hoffman, Carlos Estevez, and A.J. Minter, are still available. There are a handful of other quality relievers beyond the top options looking for contracts as well. But the Mets should strike while the market for relievers is still fruitful. A good and deep bullpen can be a difference-maker, and the Mets have the resources to restore it.