Mets reunion candidates: 1 possibility, 1 definitely not happening, 1 somewhere in between

Seth Lugo can't possibly want to come back to the Mets, could he?

Seth Lugo was an incredibly popular Mets player, particularly for the role he had. Middle relievers don't usually have as much fanfare as he did. That's because Lugo was amazingly effective as a multi-inning weapon in a time period when most Mets bullpen arms were getting shellacked.

What makes him unlikely to come back to New York is this exact reason. Lugo always wanted to return to starting games. The Mets gave him only a minimal amount of chances to return to the rotation from 2018-2022. They kept him in the bullpen instead of his desired place on the team as a starter.

This past season with the San Diego Padres proved that maybe the Mets should have considered it. Likely opting out of his deal with the Padres this winter, a return to New York doesn't seem likely to happen because of how often he was denied the chance to start.

It may be for the best anyway considering the ticking time bomb known as his partially torn UCL. Even if we took that out, the Mets need to look at bigger arms this offseason than him.

Expect Lugo to sign somewhere and continue to start games. Don’t mark him down as a realistic reunion candidate for the Mets. This long-lost former Mets player, however, might fit right in.