Mets offseason move #2: The Malachi Crunch
Who said hours of watching Nick at Nite as a kid wouldn't pay off? The Malachi Crunch is a demolition derby finishing maneuver executed by the Malachi brothers in Happy Days in which they crush their opponent's car by attacking it from both sides at once.
The Mets can execute a Malachi Crunch of their own by pursuing Josh Hader of the Padres when he hits free agency this year. Hader is the best left-handed reliever in the game, and pairing him with a healthy Edwin Diaz in 2024 would crush the competition from both sides, creating the best lefty-righty bullpen tandem the game has seen in years.
The Mets relief situation is in need of help after trading away David Robertson to the Marlins, but even before that trade, Robertson wasn't enough to keep the Mets bullpen from being one of the worst in the league. As of today, Mets relievers have the sixth-worst ERA in the majors, but adding Hader and getting Diaz back would instantly lock down the eighth and ninth innings.
The Mets have lost far too many leads this season, something that just didn't happen in 2022. Hader has an ERA under 1 this year, and he's given up only 17 hits and one home run in 44 appearances. Imagine Hader and Diaz together? Opponents won't know what hit them.