How the NY Mets can play a role in the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes with a trade

2) Omar Cruz

If there's one thing the Mets' bullpen lacks, it's left-handed pitching depth. Their 40-man roster currently holds just two left-handed hurlers. Two are starters, David Peterson and Sean Manaea, and the third is Danny Young. The Mets could look to target another relief prospect from the Padres, that being Omar Cruz.

The left-hander split his season between Double-A and Triple-A, working to a solid 3.96 ERA but a much more impressive 2.96 FIP and 1.22 WHIP across 86.1 innings. He primarily served as a swing-man-type pitcher, starting seven of his 34 total appearances. Cruz struck out nearly a third of opponents with a 32.3% K% while holding opponents to a 0.67-HR/9 ratio. He also put up a respectable 9.9% walk rate.

Cruz isn't a flamethrower like Reynolds, but he did see an uptick in velocity last season. His four-seamer sat around 92-93 MPH but was hitting 95-96 MPH max. Cruz's best pitch is his low-80s change-up. He used it a third of the time at Triple-A, inducing a whiff rate of 47.7%. When batters made contact, it resulted in an average exit velocity of 81.5 MPH and a zero percent barrel rate. Cruz will also toss a curveball and slider, but his four-seamer/change-up combo is his bread and butter.

The Padres seemed pleased with Cruz's development last year. It was enough to land him a 40-man roster spot to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. He may not have the same ceiling as his fellow relief prospect Sean Reynolds, but Cruz could end up being a solid lefty relief pitcher. A heavier emphasis on his four-seamer and change-up in shorter outings could do him a lot of good.