5 no-brainer Mets roster decisions to make this offseason

4) It’s a no-brainer for the NY Mets to stock up on bullpen help

Here’s the hardest area to build: the bullpen. This isn’t a rarity for any major league team. Assembling a crack team of relief pitchers is the toughest goal of all for general managers of all shapes and sizes. The Mets caught an unlucky break this year with Edwin Diaz going down in the WBC on the Ides of March. Would his presence have made enough of a difference? Likely not. They’d be closer to .500 but not climbing up the playoff ladder.

Stockpiling bullpen help is an absolute must for the Mets regardless of what their ultimate goal is for the 2024 season. Even if those intentions aren’t to be “all in” they should be in the market for some relief pitchers. The reason is to give themselves more pieces to swap at the trade deadline when things go south.

The Mets give themselves zero chance at a championship next year without improving the bullpen. It’s an area they must attack along with adding to the starting rotation. Because relief pitchers are constantly changing teams, getting analyzed differently from their peers, and not chasing the biggest of contracts, it’s a possible mission to accomplish.

Whether they sign guys to one or two year deals, a heavy focus this offseason for this ball club is to build up the bullpen. Otherwise they’re backing themselves up against the wall.