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A look at the Mets’ bullpen with Adam Ottavino back in the mix

John Flanigan
·5 min read
10

One of the biggest priorities for David Stearns and the Mets this offseason has been pitching.

While they weren’t able to land a big fish in the rotation, they did add a pair of low-cost, serviceable and intriguing middle-of-the-rotation arms in right-handers Luis Severino and Sean Manaea while also trading for right-hander Adrian Houser from the Milwaukee Brewers.

After the Manaea signing, SNY’s Andy Martino reported that the Mets were still considering adding a big bat to slot in behind Pete Alonso, but their main focus was picking up one or two reliable bullpen arms.

Stearns added one of those on Saturday night, bringing back right-hander Adam Ottavino on a one-year $4.5 million deal, though it’s still unclear if he’s looking to make another move or not.

With Ottavino back in the mix, though, here’s a look at how the Mets’ bullpen looks:

The Locks

Heading into spring training, the Mets have a solid trio of Diaz, Ottavino and Raley at the backend of their bullpen.

Diaz is back from the freak season-ending knee injury he suffered during last year’s World Baseball Classic, and he’ll certainly be ready to regain his spot as the top closer in all of baseball.

After a spectacular 2022 season in which he posted a 2.06 ERA, Ottavino took a bit of a step back last year, but he’s still a crafty, high-leverage set-up man who can close out games when needed.

Raley had some struggles with walks (10.6 percent BB rate) but he was otherwise terrific during his first year in the Big Apple, pitching to a 2.80 ERA while striking out 61 batters across 54 innings of work.

That trio is solid for first-year manager Carlos Mendoza, but there’s no denying he could use another high-leverage arm, and the Mets are hoping Jorge Lopez could step up to be that guy.

Lopez is coming off back-to-back rough seasons across three different teams, but he was an All-Star backend arm and pitched to a stellar 1.68 ERA with the Baltimore Orioles back in 2021. 

He also pitched well under new Mets bullpen coach Joe Rosado with Team Puerto Rico at last year's WBC, so perhaps Rosado can help him regain some of that dominant form.

Lastly, Smith is coming off a bit of a rough campaign but he's also had his bright moments throughout his career, having pitched to a combined 2.89 ERA during the 2021-22 seasons.

Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Austin Adams (55) delivers a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers in the sixth inning at American Family Field

Others in the mix

Tonkin is a low-risk signing who could potentially help this bullpen eat innings like he did last season for the Braves when he posted a 1.08 WHIP across 45 appearances. 

Bickford had his ups and downs after being acquired in a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, struggling during August but rebounding with a spectacular showing down the stretch.

The 28-year-old righty may have earned himself another look with this unit, and the biggest thing he brings is reliability, having made 55-plus appearances in three of his four big league seasons.

Walker and Lavender are two interesting lefties to keep an eye on, as both enjoyed breakout seasons at the Triple-A level last year, and they could have an opportunity to break camp with the club if the Mets don't add another lefty to the mix.

This brings us to the last three, which are a trio of lottery tickets Stearns is hoping to cash in on, as he did so often during his days with the Brewers.

Ramirez throws a solid sweeper/sinker combo but is out of options, Adams is a hard-throwing righty but loses the strike zone at times, and Crick has a career 3.56 ERA but he hasn't thrown a pitch in an MLB game since 2022.

There's certainly some potential there, but nothing truly stands out on paper, which brings us to our next point.

Wandy Peralta
Wandy Peralta / Wendell Cruz - USA TODAY Sports

Potential additions

While the bullpen market has started to pick up in recent days, there are still a handful of intriguing arms available and with the current state of this group, Stearns should absolutely be in the mix for another.

The top three in this bullpen are looking very solid, but there's no denying they could use at least one more high-leverage arm.

New York has been connected to former Houston Astros right-handers Ryne Stanek and Phil Maton, but it's unknown if the Ottavino signing would take them out of the mix for another right-hander. 

Lefty Wandy Peralta has also been mentioned as a potential target for New York, and his familiarity with Mendoza from their days with the Yankees certainly could help to try to sway him to Queens.

The veteran has been solid and extremely durable on the other side of town each of the past two seasons, pitching to a 2.82 ERA and 1.18 WHIP across 165 appearances.

If the Mets are looking for more of an innings-eater, instead of Tonkin, Jakob Junis is coming off a fantastic season with the San Francisco Giants in which he threw 86 innings in 40 appearances and posted a 3.87 ERA.