The New York Mets’ pursuit of bullpen reinforcements differs somewhat from how they navigated the starting pitcher market. With relievers, they’re exploring the most expensive options available, and have met with the top remaining free-agent option, Tanner Scott, league sources said.
To be clear, that doesn’t mean the Mets will end up signing Scott or anyone else from that tier. The expectation is for the team to check out all segments of the relief market, including trades. But even for a club like the Mets, which checks in on many different players, it’s notable that they’d hold at least some interest in the best option available.
The Mets are looking to add one to two relievers to the bullpen, league sources said.
The Mets’ openness to actually signing Scott or someone like him remains in question. The Athletic’s Tim Britton projected Scott, a 30-year-old lefty, will receive four years, $64 million. Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns is not naturally inclined to go long on contracts with starting pitchers, but the best relievers command shorter deals. Still, it’s all relative; a three- or four-year deal with a reliever is significant. In nine seasons leading front offices, Stearns has signed one reliever to a deal that guaranteed multiple seasons (Matt Albers ahead of the 2019 season).
Adding someone like Scott alongside closer Edwin Díaz, however, would create a formidable back-end duo. In some of Stearns’ most successful seasons in Milwaukee, the Brewers’ bullpen featured a 1-2 punch late in games, whether it was the combination of Corey Knebel and Josh Hader or Hader and Devin Williams.
Scott ranks as the No. 19 player on The Athletic’s Free Agent Big Board. He produced a 2.04 ERA with 188 strikeouts in 150 innings over the past two seasons while shutting down both lefties (.167) and righties (.194). It’s unclear who else New York is interested in for the bullpen. Other options remaining on the Big Board are right-handers Jeff Hoffman (ranked No. 24) Carlos Estévez (28) and Kirby Yates (32). The relief market typically picks up in January; many other options exist.
Beyond Díaz, the Mets’ bullpen projects to include two breakouts from last year in Dedniel Núñez and Reed Garrett, along with other potential options such as José Buttó, Sean Reid-Foley and Danny Young (the lone lefty of the bunch). Núñez’s season ended prematurely in September after he strained a flexor tendon in his right arm. He’s in a throwing program and should be fully available for spring training, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the Mets operated cautiously with him. Buttó was another positive development for the Mets; it’s unclear precisely what his role will be. His outings in spring training may initially resemble a starter’s workload because it’s harder to build someone up than it is to shorten them, but he may have fared too well in the bullpen last year to change his role back to a starter.
In the rotation, the Mets will always stay vigilant on the market, but club sources said they like where they are. They’re in the mix for Roki Sasaki, who is only subject to receiving money from a club’s international bonus pool. They’re without a bona fide ace and didn’t get seriously involved with the most expensive options such as Corbin Burnes. But they have more depth than last year behind a rotation that features Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, David Peterson, Clay Holmes and Frankie Montas. With the Mets looking to utilize six starters at times, it’s possible either Griffin Canning or Paul Blackburn will claim the last spot with the other operating as a long reliever.
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