12 relievers the Mets should target ahead of the trade deadline

8) NY Mets trade target Joe Mantiply

There’s nothing sexy about Joe Mantiply, but the man knows how to pitch.

Manitiply has 27 appearances and pitched 24.1 innings, including two saves. He’s allowed 21 hits, just one earned run and walk, and struck out 22 batters. His ERA is 0.37, his FIP is 1.58, his WHIP is 0.90, and his ERA+ is an outrageous 1129. 

What makes Mantiply so effective is that he induces nearly 60% of his contact on the ground. He has the 14th best groundball rate in the majors at 58.8%.  

Mantiply throws three pitches, and it won’t surprise you at all that the one he uses the most is his sinker. He throws it 38% of the time and commands it well at the bottom of the zone. He throws his curveball 32% of the time and his changeup 28%. 

The lefty is in the 100th percentile in walk rate, 99th percentile in xwOBA, xERA, barrel rate, and chase rate, 98th percentile in xSLG, 89th percentile in average exit velocity, and 81st percentile in xBA. He doesn’t throw hard, but he does get good movement to the point where hitters just can’t square him up.

Mantiply, who the Mets drafted in the 48th round of the 2009 draft out of high school, has four years of control remaining. The first is team control, followed by three years of arbitration. He is 31 years old, but he could still be fairly expensive given the insane start to his season and the years of control remaining.