Photo Credit: masslive.com

The bullpen dealt with ineffectiveness, injuries, and inconsistency, all of which massively contributed to the team’s second half collapse. This was shown through the struggles of Ryan Helsley (7.20 ERA, 1.80 WHIP), Ryne Stanek (5.30 ERA, 1.57 WHIP), and Gregory Soto (4.50 ERA, 1.63 WHIP), while the team also dealt with injuries to A.J Minter, Reed Garrett, and Danny Young.

Unfortunately, many of this season’s high-leverage relievers are now free agents, including Edwin Diaz, Ryan Helsley, and Tyler Rogers. This leaves the team with a massive hole in their bullpen, as their current group consists of Brooks Raley, Huascar Brazoban, A.J Minter, and several low-leverage arms.

To combat this issue, David Stearns has a variety of options that he can pursue to strengthen this bullpen. Ideally, his #1 priority should be to re-sign star closer Edwin Diaz and lock him up as a Met for life.

Diaz’s asking price (4-5 years, $80-100M) is substantial and potentially risky for a 31 year old closer, but he was nonetheless dominant for the Mets this season, as he recorded a 1.63 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 98 strikeouts, and 28 saves.

Another reliever that Stearns should attempt to retain is Tyler Rogers, who the team acquired at the trade deadline. Rogers was very solid as a Met (2.30 ERA, 1.09 WHIP), though he gave up lots of soft contact and baserunners in his short tenure.

He should command a cheaper contract ($8-10M AAV), which would strengthen the back end of the Mets’ bullpen and give the team more flexibility to potentially spend on other positions.

Lastly, three external relievers that David Stearns could target are Devin Williams, Danny Coulombe, and Kyle Finnegan.

Williams had his fair share of ups-and-downs in the Bronx, as he recorded a 4-6 record, 4.79 ERA, 18 saves, 4 blown saves, and 90 strikeouts in 62 innings. This inconsistency led Aaron Boone to remove Williams from the closer role several times throughout the season.

However, this doesn’t paint the entire picture, as Williams had a 2.68 FIP, looked dominant at times, and had excellent peripherals, as he was in elite percentiles in chase rate, whiff rate, xBA, hard hit rate, and strikeout rate.

This aligns with David Stearns’ low-risk, high-reward signings, as the right adjustments could push Devin Williams back to elite form.

Photo Credit: reuters.com

Danny Coulombe would be another effective fit in the bullpen, as he’s been a consistent reliever (2.41 ERA since 2023) in the MLB. The 36-year-old lefty had a successful season in Texas, as he recorded a 2.30 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 43 strikeouts in 43 innings.

Finally, Kyle Finnegan would be the last piece of the puzzle for the bullpen. He initially struggled with Washington (4.38 ERA), but dominated in Detroit after being traded. In the Tigers’ playoff push, he delivered a strong 1.50 ERA, 4 saves, and 23 strikeouts, stabilizing the bridge to closer Will Vest.

After these moves, the Mets bullpen would look something like this:
RHP Dylan Ross/Huascar Brazoban
LHP Danny Coulombe
LHP Brooks Raley
RHP Tyler Rogers
RHP Kyle Finnegan
RHP Devin Williams
RHP Edwin Diaz