3 free agent lefty relievers to pair with Brooks Raley

2) NY Mets free agent target Matt Moore has reinvented himself in the bullpen

Matt Moore is following the Oliver Perez route. Once a talented young starting pitcher, injuries and ineffectiveness derailed what looked like a promising career ahead of him. Perez’s issues were more about control while Moore can point at injuries a little harder.

Either way, Moore found something pretty special last season. His first year as a full-time reliever with the Texas Rangers was outstanding. He gave them 74 innings in 63 appearances, a 5-2 record, and 1.95 ERA. Just when it looked like his career was over, he got humble and reinvented himself in a new role.

Something quite notable about Moore’s splits from last year is that he was far better against right-handed hitters than lefties. Righties batted .165/.282/.255 against him while lefties slashed .243/.310/.324. A positive spin on it: Moore can handle batters from both sides of the plate and should be able to outperform lefties who struggle against southpaws more than most.

Moore may not be an ideal pitcher for the Mets bullpen to pair with Raley but he does offer something a little bit different. While Raley would be the guy to face a lefty slugger with two outs in the seventh, Moore would be someone Buck Showalter could use for an inning or two against a lefty-righty-lefty matchup without fair of the middle guy doing damage.

Next June is when Moore will 34. He might feel older, but he’s right there with many of the best lefty free agent relievers left on the market.