The Mets bullpen was definitely as was the whole team, but even though the Mets have spent big money the past couple off-seasons they haven’t really been great in the reliever market. With a new decision maker in the house (David Stearns) you can expect the Mets to be active in their search for bullpen arms. But with that comes a risk of paying a decent amount of salary to a reliever who could just have an off-year, as of right now their are multiple arms on the impending free-agent market that definitely make sense for the Mets and don’t cost a ton.
#1 Reynaldo Lopez
The 29 year old reliever played for 3 teams this season, WhiteSox, Angels, Guardians. And had great numbers thru out the year and as of right now in my opinion is one of the best reliever’s on the market, and he shouldn’t come with a huge price tag. His data this year have been really good, especially underlying.
68 G
17.6% K-BB%
.209 BAA
30.5% Whiff%
8 Pitching Run Value (statcast)
3.27 ERA
3.91 FIP
125 Stuff+
And with bullpen struggles that has plagued the Mets for many years, he could be added and be put into a middle relief/setup man role and with Adam Ottavino’s return up in the air adding an arm at a good cost to replace his role would be nice move by the FO.
#2 RHP Jordan Hicks
The flame throwing right- handed pitcher has been inconsistent with walks and hitting the strike zone, but when he is on, he is almost untouchable with his nasty stuff and the velocity adding him at a cost-effective price, making him a reliable piece going forward as he’s only 27 years old. His numbers have been really mixed but the underlying analytics look nice:
65 G
17.2% K/BB%
58.3% GB%
28.2% Whiff%
11 Pitching Run Value (statcast)
3.29 ERA
3.22 FIP
126 Stuff+
Both of these guys should carry AAV’s of around 5 to 6 million dollars per year which is considered as a mid range bullpen arm value but both of these players could very easily provide setup roles for All-star closer Edwin Diaz.
BS Reports 
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