The New York Mets bullpen is definitely a work in progress.
Despite some really high-profile names, the unit wasn’t that impressive in 2022.
Now, with the 2023 campaign in mind, the group has additionally lost several names.
Mychal Givens, Seth Lugo, Trevor May, Adam Ottavino, Joely Rodríguez, and Sean Reid-Foley are all free to sign with other teams (Rodriguez already did, in fact).
New York did a marvelous job coping with the loss of Jacob deGrom and other starters by bringing in Justin Verlander and Jose Quintana.
Now, it’s time to address the bullpen and they executed a very good trade on Wednesday with that in mind.
“The Mets are acquiring Brooks Raley in a trade from the Rays, per @JonHeyman,” B/R Walk-Off tweeted.
The Mets are acquiring Brooks Raley in a trade from the Rays, per @JonHeyman pic.twitter.com/oSrHXSgR5o
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) December 7, 2022
New York surrendered pitcher Keyshawn Askew to get their man.
Raley represents a really nice get for the Mets.
Raley Was Elite Against Lefties
He is 34 already, but that didn’t stop him from posting a rock-solid 2.68 ERA, a 0.97 WHIP, and a 61/15 K/BB ratio across 53 2/3 innings this past season with the Tampa Bay Rays.
He was particularly nasty against left-handed hitters, as he held them to a .155/.200/.282 slash line.
As for Askew, he is still a prospect and is not particularly close to the major leagues.
He was a 10th-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft out of Clemson University and was very good in the lower minors in 2022 for the Mets.
There is still a lot of work to be done, but Raley will be very helpful in Queens.
The team still has most of the offseason ahead and plenty of time to add to their relief corps.
Most importantly, they have the financial means and the willingness to improve.
NEXT: The Mets Have Rapidly Improved Their 2023 Rotation