A Tanner Scott alternative the NY Mets shouldn't sleep on signing

On Tuesday, SNY's Andy Martino reported that the New York Mets are active in the reliever market and, "there's a chance that they could shop at the higher end of that". Martino further explained that LHP Tanner Scott and veteran RHP Kirby Yates could possibly be on their radar for short term, higher AAV deals. If Tanner Scott decides to take a longer term contract with another team, the Mets need to acquire a high-leverage lefty for cheap and Scott Alexander is that guy

Why Scott Alexander can fill the left-handed hole in the Mets bullpen

In recent years, the Mets have been in dire straits when it comes to building a bullpen, predominantly in developing left-handed relievers. In the past seven years, the Mets have had only three lefty relievers post 1.0 WAR or better in a single season. To put that into perspective the Braves had two left-handed relievers with at least a 1.0 WAR in 2024 alone.

Last season, 35-year-old Scott Alexander posted a 1.3 WAR over 38 IP with the Oakland Athletics. Among the 70 left-handed relievers that threw over 30 IP, Alexander ranks 11th in ERA and 3rd in earned runs. He also has an ERA+ 55% better then league average, a WHIP of 1.19, and 3.49 BB/9.

Compared to Tanner Scott who had an ERA+ 52% better then league average, a WHIP of 1.13, and 4.50 BB/9 in 2024. Walking batters was Achilles heel of the 2024 Mets, giving up the most free passes in the national league. The bullpen in particular finished with a putrid 4.11 BB/9.

Even though Scott is coming off an insane 3.3 WAR season, the 4.50 BB/9 is scary considering this team already has trouble limiting walks. Alexander coming in at a full walk less per nine innings makes his case greater when the WHIP and ERA+ are virtually the same.

The other reason why Alexander makes a lot of sense for the Mets is he is an effective ground ball pitcher, and David Stearns can't get enough of them. In 2024 the Mets ranked fourth in ground ball percentage with heavy emphasis on throwing sinking fastballs and sweeping sliders. Last season, Alexander threw 568 pitches and 88% of them were sinkers and sliders with a ground ball percentage of 60%. Tanner Scott's ground ball percentage was 49.6%, relying heavily on his 4-seam fastball.

The Mets should try everything in their power to try and land Scott on a short term deal, but if he is going to be looking for a 3-4 year contract, the Mets need Alexander to add a reliable left-hander to the bullpen while saving money to still add more arms and another bat.