3 musts for the Mets to take with them from the Phillies to the Blue Jays series

2) The NY Mets bullpen must remain a strength

Speaking of Tommy Hunter, Stephen Nogosek, and Dominic Leone, the less we see of them the better. They’re fine for what they are. We certainly don’t need all three on the roster, but limited options for the Mets at the moment have kept them all here. None have a minor league option so until they pitch their way off completely, they’re probably going to stay.

One big reason the Mets were able to take down the Phillies so easily was how little sweating there was with the bullpen. The relievers had been weakening of late. Even during their successful stretch against the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians, trust in the bullpen was not at its highest.

It hasn’t gotten significantly better after the series against the Phillies because it was the mainstay arms we saw most regularly. They were able to save Adam Ottavino and David Robertson from having to step on the mound in the finale. The scoreboard may have looked close but it never felt like the Phillies were in striking distance.

Not having to use the relievers we’d rather avoid all begins with the starting staff. Coming off this series against the Phillies, those more problematic relievers could potentially be a little better-rested and we can cross our fingers then hope it’s what they need to enter the circle of trust.