While the Mets were quick out of the gate this offseason by signing Michael Cuddyer, there shouldn’t be too many high profile free agents being acquired any time soon. A trade for a shortstop will continue to be the hot bed of discussion around the Mets and GM Sandy Alderson, but any ensuing action will probably occur later than sooner. Power plays and leverage schemes will continue throughout the “Hot Stove” season from each team looking to make a significant trade, but in the meantime Alderson should have his attention on his bullpen.
Last season the Mets, like many other teams do, sifted through numerous pitchers before their collective relief pitching arsenal revealed itself as a constant. Fans suffered through the struggles of Kyle Farnsworth, Jose Valverde, Scott Rice, and John Lannan while still bearing the after effects of Bobby Parnell’s opening day injury (and blown save). By the end of the season, the Mets bullpen fine-tuned their performance which is reflected by their 3.18 ERA, good for eighth in MLB. Jenrry Mejia, Jeurys Familia, Vic Black, Josh Edgin, Carlos Torres, Buddy Carlyle, and Dana Eveland all provided a much needed boost to a relief corps that has been shoddy since 2006. In 2015, all the aforementioned players will be back along with a reconstructed Parnell after his Tommy John rehab and possibly Rafael Montero as a long man. So…the bullpen is locked in and ready to go right?
Not so fast. The group returning next season, while promising and talented, are fairly young and could be prone to inconsistency, much like many bullpens. Mejia, Familia, and Black all ended the season with injuries, and Torres’ arm seems to be defying new depths of durability. Yesterday, Adam Rubin of ESPN.com reported that the Mets were interested in bringing back Carlyle and Eveland to sure up the back of the bullpen, the latter is also recovering from a season ending elbow injury. The left-handed, Eveland revived his career last season by posting a 3.21 ERA in 27 IP, while opponents batted only .229. He allowed 6 of 23 inherited runners to score (26%) and showed to be affective against righties too (.216 OBA).
Like his counterparts, Eveland’s track record of success on the major league level is absent of any sustainment. Alderson will have to consider all the facts when deciding to acquire a veteran lefty arm via trade or free agency. Jack Leathersich and Dario Alvarez are minor league options ready for the call, and Eveland is still available. If the Mets are going to contend next year behind their strong starting rotation, the bullpen will have to be reliable. If the postseason has taught us anything this season, it’s that strong relief pitching can do wonders for a team’s title hopes. Edgin’s bounce back year was encouraging, and he looks to be Terry Collins go-to LOOGY at the present, but who else is available right now?
It’s doubtful Alderson will shell out big money for a relief pitcher, so that immediately rules out Andrew Miller who should command a hefty contract. Joe Thatcher is an interesting option, but after Zach Duke’s 3 year/$15 million deal signed by the White Sox, it’s likely a similar payday is forthcoming.
Some cheaper options could be Joe Beimel or Neil Cotts. Beimel, 38, is coming of a solid season with Seattle where left-handed batters hit only .188 against him. Cotts, 34, while not as effective as Beimel, logged 66.2 innings last season with Texas while compiling 63 SOs and yielding only 6 HR. Both pitchers are reasonable purchases for a spot and bring experience and insurance to a young, upstart group. Many fans might scoff at the names as “bargain basement,” but Eveland’s performance last season reflected the value in compiling capable arms. If the Mets choose to steer clear of new additions, Eveland may become a part of the equation once again.
Remember, the manager loves his LOOGYs, so if the Mets decide to take two of them north for Opening Day, it’s worth monitoring who they are courting.
Follow Sean Flattery on Twitter @SeanFlatts
I was sifting through some splits of the Mets relievers this year.
Familia was really dominant against righties. .377 OPS and just .161 SLG! Utterly dominant. But lefties murdered him to the tune of .821 OPS. In comparison, Duda put a .830 OPS on the year. And the strange part was that he faced almost the same number of righties as lefties (did other teams frequently PH against Familia?),169 vs RH, 153 vs LH, something that i would not expected to happen under our matchup-crazy manager.
Also, forgotten man Gonzalez Germen also had a similar problem. He was fine against righties, .598 OPS, but lefties absolutely destroyed him to the tune of .736 SLG, which was a result of 6 HRs in just 59 PAs. Luckily we have a bigger sample with Germen, and he had an acceptable .730 OPS against lefties last year.
Black, Edgin, Mejia, Torres, Carlyle, Eveland were all fine against both sides of the plate.
Death to the LOOGY!!!
Amen Name!!!
Why go down that road again Sean? Haven’t you suffered enough pain and misery from bringing old rejects just to torment you? You’re not a masochist are you? The Mets have the pitching in Las Vegas who can and will do the job for a far more reasonable price than another old fossil at Any salary. So SA does what you want and brings in another discount reclamation project who’s trying to resurrect his career. How many blown saves get added before Collins has to ditch these retreads for some young arms from the 51’s? I wish that Alderson would give the kids he already has stockpiled in His farm system the opportunity to pitch in Citifield. The future is now. No need to go bargain basement shopping anymore.
Relief pitching from year to year is very inconsistent, especially middle relief.
There are many pitchers willing to sign a minor league contract with an invite to spring training. Carlyle and Eveland were two examples that middle relief is available without spending money that could be allocated elsewhere. The Mets should get a right handed batting backup outfielder before spending any money on a LOOGY.
I’m uncomfortable living in a world where Zach Duke gets $15 million.
I’m all for bringing Eveland back because his usage pattern wasn’t completely insane. It still leaves Collins using Edgin in a sub-optimal role but if we know that management is going to insist on carrying a LOOGY, it seems the only way to make the best of a terrible idea is to have one who can get RHB out, too.
You mean a “roogy?”
Haha. This is more about what the Mets are comfortable with than what we, the fans, want.
I want the best 7 options out there, but TC likes to looks micromanage splits and matchups almost to a fault.
What’s even funnier is The Post ran a story yesterday about Mets looking to acquire a lefty reliever via a source. But you heard it here first!
They mentioned Biemel, Coke, and Breslow.
Nice article, and good names you threw out there. I don’t mind Eveland coming back either, but it should end there, as the young guns need to get a full season as a cohesive bullpen.