5 under the radar pitchers the Mets could target before the trade deadline

NY Mets under the radar trade target: Scott Barlow

Scott Barlow has quietly been one of the most reliable relievers in baseball over the last two years. 

In 40 appearances and 43.2 innings pitched, he’s allowed just 30 hits, 10 earned runs, 12 walks, and struck out 44 batters. His ERA is 2.06, his FIP is 3.62, his WHIP is 0.96, and his ERA+ is 199. 

There is a lot of red on his Baseball Savant page. He is in the 98th percentile in chase rate, 94th percentile in hard hit rate, 90th percentile in average exit velo, 82nd percentile in xBA and whiff rate, and 78th percentile in xwOBA and xERA. Most of Barlow’s batted balls go on the ground (46%) and to the pull side (49%).

Barlow throws three pitches. He throws his slider 45% of the time, his curveball 32%, and his four-seamer 23%. He’s only thrown one sinker this year, so that’s not really part of his repertoire. His fastball has great spin (76th percentile), but his slider is by far his best pitch, posting a run value of -8. Hitters are hitting just .200 and slugging just .308 off of it.

The Royals aren’t going anywhere this year, and probably the remaining two years that Barlow is under team control. They could probably get a decent prospect back for Barlow, and that guy would be around when their playoff window opens.