3 Mets relievers not on the 40-man roster most likely to see big league action this year

2) NY Mets reliever T.J. McFarland is one of the most experienced lefties the organization has

T.J. McFarland is an unexciting 33-year-old lefty. He’s coming off of a miserable year with the St. Louis Cardinals featuring a 6.61 ERA in 32.2 innings of work. Why would the Mets even bother? The year prior was much better. McFarland’s 2021 season included a 2.56 ERA performance in 38.2 innings of work.

McFarland is an incredibly low strikeout pitcher, averaging 5.3 per 9 over his 351 big league games. He pitches more to contact. Many times it has gotten the best of him.

Despite the poor numbers, his left arm and many years of pitching in the big leagues could make him a viable choice to call up if the team lost Brooks Raley or ever felt like they required the services of another southpaw reliever. McFarland has held lefties to a .260/.300/.384 slash line. Those totals aren’t spectacular, but they aren’t horrendous either.

Because he also doesn’t have minor league options left, McFarland would have to be DFA’d if the Mets ever wanted to go with someone else. He’s a little different from Hunter. Hunter is someone I’d think could get picked up on the waiver wire later in the year. McFarland has the potential to pass through. The Mets’ goodbye to him could end up as a “see ya later.”