3 Mets pitchers who could compete for the Seth Lugo role in 2023

The days of Seth Lugo saving the day for the New York Mets out of the bullpen may reach its finale in 2022. He’s a free agent after this coming season. And if he feels enough bitterness about not getting more shots to start, fleeing Queens is very likely.

We don’t have to worry about that quite yet. There’s still a whole 2022 season—hopefully.

If Lugo does leave, the Mets could look at these three pitchers to possibly take on the niche he created for himself out of the bullpen for the last few seasons.

Mets pitcher Sean Reid-Foley is the favorite to possibly replace Seth Lugo

We saw, in limited action, what Sean Reid-Foley can do against big league hitters. Once a starter in the minor leagues with the Toronto Blue Jays, the Mets asked him to pitch for them in relief last year.

Reid-Foley had some initial success but hitters seemed to figure him out. He’d deliver a 5.23 ERA in 20.2 innings of work across 12 total appearances.

Particularly early on, SRF was taking the mound for more than an inning at a time. He debuted with three shutout frames against the Chicago Cubs. His first win came in another three-inning shutout performance. This time it was versus the Atlanta Braves.

The small big league sample size shouldn’t detour us from believing Reid-Foley can have some success over a longer period of time. The ability to pitch multiple innings in relief should not be underestimated. It is a weapon for any big league bullpen to have. The Mets have been fortunate to call upon Lugo for this duty many times over the recent years.

The coming season will be a big one for Reid-Foley. The Mets have a lot of openings in their bullpen coming up. If he can keep his control in check, he has a shot to do much more than mop-up games.

Mets pitcher Yennsy Diaz is in a similar position

Another former starter for the Toronto Blue Jays on the farm, Yennsy Diaz is another guy to consider for a high-leverage, multi-inning role in the future. He has a little bit further to go than Reid-Foley. At least SRF had some sustained success even if it was only a small number of games.

The Mets do seem committed to making Diaz a reliever rather than providing him with chances to start. Even during his stay in Triple-A last year, Diaz only pitched in relief. While with the Blue Jays organization, it was rare for him to come out of the bullpen.

With this in mind, I’m willing to cut him a break for performing poorly at the major league and minor league levels last year. There’s a big adjustment to going from starting to relieving. Fortunately, getting caught in the middle makes you a great candidate to do what Lugo has for so many years.

Heading into this season, it’s up to Diaz to show the club he can handle this role. He may not be destined for anything like Lugo. He’ll have the 2022 campaign to change our minds. Only then can he position himself for much more responsibilities with the Mets in the coming season(s).