4 left-handed relievers who could replace Aaron Loup

Andrew Miller

A 16 year major league veteran, one of the top southpaws for the Mets to pick up and add to the bullpen is 2-time All Star Andrew Miller.

Miller has been well travelled over the course of his career, having pitched for 7 different teams over the past 16 season, and has put up numbers just about everywhere he's been.

Starting out his career as a starting pitcher, Miller eventually transitioned into a relief pitcher and went on to become one of the best in the business,

His best stretch came over the course of the 2015-2017 seasons as a member of the Yankees and Indians, where over the course of 198.2 innings, Miller logged a staggering 1.63 ERA.

After leaving the Indians following the 2018 season, Miller signed a 3 year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals. In his 3 years with the Cards,
Miller logged over 103.2 innings with the Cards, posting a total 4.34 ERA

Clearly Miller's best days are behind him, but he can still be an effective reliever, and while his total ERA isn't great, his showings against left handed hitters are much more impressive.

For the 2021 season, Miller held left handed batters to a .182 batting average and .257 OBP. Just for comparison, against lefties in 2021, Aaron Loup held left handed hitters to a .167 batting average and a .226 OBP.

Miller may be past his prime, but his isn't too far off from Loup's numbers against left handers, and while he may not be the man to anchor the team's bullpen, he could easily serve as a left handed specialist.

Andrew Miller has the experience and the track record to really make a difference in the Mets bullpen, and whenever the lockout finally ends, New York would be wise to reach out to him.

Tony Watson

While Andrew Miller is arguably the top option in terms of left handed relievers still available on the free agent market, a close second is the former 2014 All-Star Tony Watson.

Another well travelled veteran of the major leagues, the 36 year old south paw first made is debut in the big leagues as a member of the Pittsburg Pirates during the 2011 season. He spent his first 7 years with Pittsburg before being dealt to the Dodgers at the 2017 deadline.

Following that, Watson spent the next 3 years with the San Francisco Giants before signing with our rival Phillies prior to the 2021 season on a minor league deal. He opted out of his contract after spring training however, and signed a 1 year deal with the Los Angeles Angels.

After spending the first half of the year in Anaheim, Watson was traded back to the Giants at the 2021 deadline, and helped to guide them to the NL West title and the post season.

For his 11 year career, Watson has posted a 2.90 ERA over 648.1 innings over 689 games. Tony has been very consistent over the bulk of his career, but in baseball you are only as good as your last game.

Luckily, Watson was still very effective as a member of the Angels and Giants despite being in the latter part of his career. For the 2021 season, Watson appeared in 62 total games, posting a 3.92 ERA over 57.1 innings.

He performed particularly well for the Giants following his trade back to San Francisco, going 4-1 with a 2.96 ERA in 24.1 innings over 26 relief appearances.

Clearly, despite already spending 11 years in the league. Watson proved in 2021 that he can still be an effective reliever and be a valuable asset to a play off contender.

He certainly fits the bill in terms of replacing Aaron Loup's role out of the bullpen
and if the Mets were wise, they should give his agent a call the second lockout is over.

Sean Doolittle

A name that most New York Mets fans surely recognize, another one of their more tempting options to replace Aaron Loup is the former Washington Nationals closer Sean Doolittle.

Starting out his career with the Oakland Athletics back in 2012, Doolittle spent the first 6 years of his career with the A's before being traded to the Nationals at the 2017 deadline.

He served as closer for the Nats from then thru the 2019 season, helping to lead them to the World Series in 2019, and remained in Washington as a set up man for the Covid-19 shortened 2020, however he did struggle over the 11 games he appeared in that year.

Following his time in Washington, Doolittle signed a 1 year contract with the Cincinnati Reds prior to the 2021 season, and was later picked up by the Seattle Mariners for the remainder of the year.

For his 10 year career, Sean Doolittle has appeared in 457 games with his 4 teams, logging a 3.23 ERA over 445.1 innings over that time, while locking down 112 saves.

While his 2021 numbers do not match the consistency he showed earlier in his career, Doolittle did show he can still be an effective hand out of the pen, as he logged a 4.53 ERA over 49.2 innings in 56 games between the Reds and Mariners.

While Doolittle's best days may now be behind him, he definitely showed in 2021 that he has something left in the tank, and with the Mets still looking to plug up their holes in the bullpen once the lockdown is over, he is certainly an option worth considering.

Jake Diekman

Last but certainly no least, one final free agent southpaw that the Mets should consider bringing in is another former Oakland A, Jake Diekman.

A journeyman reliever, Diekman began his career with our rival Phillies back in 2012 before being traded to the Texas Rangers mid way through the 2015 season. After 3 years in Arlington, he was traded once again, this time to the Diamondbacks at the 2018 deadline.

He his free agency for the first time the following off-season before being picked up by the Kansas City Royals on a 1 year deal, who would go on to trade him to the Oakland Athletics in July of 2019.

Diekman would go on to spend the next 3 seasons as a member of the Oakland A's, and he would go on to have arguably the most successful run of his career.

Over his 10 years in the league, Diekman has a career 3.73 ERA in 456 innings spanning over 529 games between 5 different teams as a reliever.

However, in his time with the Athletics, Diekman posted a 3.25 ERA in 102.1 innings over 116 games. His best year by far came in 2022, where the then 33 year old southpaw posted a 0.42 ERA over 21.1 innings, which was the lowest in his career.

Now that he is once again a free agent and coming off of the best run of his career, Diekman will surely have many suitors pining for his services once the current lockout ends.

However, until it finally does end we can only speculate who the Mets should sign once free agency resumes, but fans can rest easy knowing that when it comes to finding a new left hander to anchor New York's bullpen, the team has plenty of options to chose from.