Mets Are Looking At Left-Handed Relievers, With Several Names Involved

The New York Mets are in the spotlight right now as the frontrunners in the Tarik Skubal sweepstakes, but they have other needs beyond a top-of-the rotation starter. According to a report from Steve Adams of MLBTradeRumors.com, the Mets have been eyeing some left-handed relievers, and some familiar names are involved. 

One is A.J. Minter, whom the Mets sent to the Minnesota Twins at the trade deadline, and his return was always a possibility. It’s an odd situation, though, as the Mets traded away most of their bullpen at the deadline, then rebuilt it into an effective unit that consisted of a series of castoff relievers, but they still have significant needs. 

Right now the only lefty the Mets have in the pen is Nate Lavender, who came from out of nowhere to post a 1.66 ERA to go with a strikeout rate of 32.9 percent and a walk rate of just 5.1 percent over 21-1/3 innings as a rookie. Lavender is 27, but the lack of a track record raises questions about whether he can duplicate the feat, hence the search. 

Cionel Perez also pitched well after the Mets picked him up from the Washington Nationals, but he had an ERA of 6.19 when the Nationals cut him loose, so there are even more significant duplication questions whith him. 

Two other relievers have been mentioned, including Brooks Raley, who was outstanding with the Mets. Raley was a disaster with the Philadelphia Phillies after the Mets dealt him within the division, so his return also makes sense, with his name being floated by Chelsea Janes of SNY. 

Joel Sherman of the New York Post also typically has names to add in a situation like this, and his was Darwinzon Hernandez, who will be returning from Japan. And Will Sammon of The Athletic mentioned Alex Vesia and Tim Hill as pitchers who will be in play, so there are plenty of choices. 

There will be competition, however. The New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates and the Phillies are all looking for left-handed relief, but the Mets could have an advantage with Raley and Minter given the prior history of success for both parties. 

One footnote to this situation is that no one is mentioning the possibility of getting another potential closer to go with Devin Williams. Williams’ ERA has been well over four for the past two seasons, which makes the lack of a plan to at least get a backup possibility somewhat puzzling.