7 Mets free agent predictions

The Mets are going to sign a starter/reliever hybrid this offseason

A fundamental aspect for the Mets is to have figures who provide a considerable number of innings in the bullpen. Unlike high-end relievers with the ability to make outs in the most pressing moments of the game, during the course of the season having pitchers with the ability to eat a large number of innings efficiently becomes necessary.

For this reason, the Mets will sign Nick Martinez this winter. Martinez is a starting pitcher turned reliever who has the ability to function as a long and short reliever, opener, or spot starter.

Martinez is not a pitcher with enough ability to retire via strikeouts, but he has a good arsenal of five pitches that make him an effective pitcher. Their most recent success is due to the change in his pitch distribution, making his change-up his main pitch, which batters hit for an average of .158 and generated a whiff% of 46.5, almost elite.

The change in the way he uses his pitches allowed Martinez to lower the opponents' ability to generate power, and this 2023, he managed to induce a low hard-hit contact rate of 29.9%, top 5% in the league. Likewise, a large part of his success is due to the ability of this pitcher to induce hits through the ground ball, achieving that more than 54% of the hits allowed were through the ground.

The Mets will inject depth into their reliever staff with the signing of Nick Martinez. This will help the bullpen and the rotation, giving the new manager a figure capable of working multiple innings efficiently.