NY Mets latest pitching depth moves can be very valuable down the stretch

One of the oldest adages in baseball is that you can never have enough pitching. This is something the New York Mets front office has taken to heart. David Stearns and company are constantly signing and trading for different starters and relievers, to have as much depth as possible in the minor leagues. While these moves provide depth, the hope is that these pitchers can identify the cause of their struggles through the pitching lab and use that data to become reliable relievers.

On Saturday, the Mets continued that strategy, making two moves for struggling relief pitchers. They signed former Cubs reliever Julian Merryweather to a minor league deal. They also acquired Justin Gaza from the Giants for cash. But who are these pitchers, and what do they bring to the Mets' bullpen?

What kind of pitchers are Julian Merryweather and Justin Garza

Merryweather has spent the last six seasons with the Blue Jays and the Cubs. Over his six seasons in the bigs, he has an ERA of 4.72 over 158 and a third innings with 177 strikeouts to 73 walks, a 1.434 WHIP, and an ERA+ of 89. Although he has struggled over the past two seasons, he experienced decent success in 2023. Over 72 innings, he had an ERA of 3.38, with 98 strikeouts to 36 walks, a 1.306 WHIP, and an ERA+ of 127.

While Merryweather can throw four pitches, he usually attacks hitters with his four-seam fastball and slider. These two pitches complement each other nicely. He starts hitters off with the four-seamer, which sits at an average of 96 mph, which is in the 79th percentile among MLB pitchers. He then finishes them off with his slider, which sits at 85 mph. This change in speeds throws hitters off, resulting in a 28.4% whiff rate and puts away 20.4% of batters.

Unlike Merryweather, Garza does not have a lot of experience in the majors. He's only had two seasons in the bigs with the Guardians and Red Sox. In 47 innings, he has an ERA of 5.74 with 46 strikeouts to 30 walks, a 1.681 WHIP, and an ERA+ of 77. While he has struggled in Triple-A Sacramento this season, he did find success in 2024. In 55 innings between Double and Triple-A, he had a 4.25 ERA with 63 strikeouts to 20 walks, and a 1.309 WHIP.

Garza is a pitcher who relies heavily on his four-seam fastball. Back in 2023, he threw this pitch 50.3% of the time. This is 30.1% more than any other pitch in his arsenal. The reason for this high usage is the high velocity he can get on it. His four-seamer averages about 95 mph. When he's not throwing his four-seamer, he relies on his cutter to put hitters away, using it as his put-away pitch 36.4% of the time.

If there is one thing these two have in common it's their ability to throw hard. Their high velocity on their fastballs shows they have the ability to serviceable major league relievers. If they'll able to fix what has been causing them to struggle, they could be steals for the Mets. Guys that can become reliable reliever during the pennant chase. It could be the latest success story of the Mets famous pitching lab.