3 most realistic Mets relief pitcher options to finish off their bullpen rebuild

3) Phil Maton

Phil Maton was nothing more than a journeyman for the first five years of his career but broke out in 2022 with Houston and followed that up with an even better 2023 campaign before hitting free agency for the first time at age 30.

Maton posted a 3.00 ERA in 68 appearances and 66 innings pitched, pitching in all sorts of situations for the Astros. He'd work early in games if there was a need and also got key outs late in games to help his team win.

The right-hander is nowhere near a hard thrower as he averaged just 89 mph with his four-seam fastball this past season, but he still struck out over ten batters per nine and avoided hard contact at an elite rate. Maton ranked in the 100th percentile in hard-hit rate and the 99th percentile in average exit velocity according to Baseball Savant. Soft contact hit at a much-improved defense should translate to outs at an efficient rate.

Maton's age might get him more than one year in free agency which could scare the Mets away (it shouldn't) but the AAV should be reasonable enough to keep them in discussions with him. Maton being as versatile as he's shown to be in Houston could be a real weapon for New York if they were to get him.