PORT ST. LUCIE — The Mets ranked ninth in MLB last season with a 3.90 ERA from their relievers. Much of that same crew is back.
The most notable difference is the subtraction of left-hander Aaron Loup, who established a Mets record for a reliever by pitching to a 0.95 ERA and then departed through free agency, signing with the Angels.
Whether the Mets will carry a lefty in the bullpen (Chasen Shreve and Alex Claudio are still in camp on minor league contracts) is a topic of discussion among manager Buck Showalter and the front office. For now, there are likely seven relievers who are locks for the Opening Day roster. A look at the inventory:
The Mets closer endured a midseason slump in which he blew three straight saves, but overall had a solid year. In 63 appearances, he pitched to a 3.45 ERA and finished with 32 saves in 38 chances.
Diaz’s fastball averaged 98.8 mph last season, which ranked in MLB’s 100th percentile, according to Statcast. In hard-hit percentage, Diaz ranked in the 99th percentile.
“I think 2019, he’s past anything that happened that year,” pitching coach Jeremy Hefner said, referring to Diaz’s disastrous first season with the Mets. “Velocity, movement, he had that bad stretch against Pittsburgh in the middle of the season, which everyone knows. Outside of that, it was really good.”
Trevor May
After arriving on a two-year contract worth $15.5 million before last season, the right-hander appeared in 68 games and pitched to a 3.59 ERA.
May’s strikeout rate and whiff percentage ranked in MLB’s 90th and 87th percentile, respectively, according to Statcast.
“I thought his season was great,” Hefner said. “Trevor is a fly-ball pitcher and so he is susceptible to the home run at times, and so that can inflate his numbers, but it’s probably not indicative of how well he pitched. But overall he is a trustworthy guy and you put him in a big spot, he doesn’t scare. He is going to give you his best game, regardless of the environment he’s in.”
Seth Lugo
The right-hander missed the first two months of last season after undergoing surgery to remove a bone spur from his right elbow. In 46 appearances, he pitched to a 3.50 ERA. On five occasions he pitched more than one inning.
Hefner expects a better version of Lugo this season.
“Coming off the injury, in spring training he built up and for me it probably wasn’t his best and he will probably tell you that,” Hefner said. “But there were flashes of his brilliance and that is kind of what we’re seeing so far in spring training this year.”
Adam Ottavino
The Mets essentially replaced Jeurys Familia with Ottavino, who arrived on a one-year contract worth $4 million.
Last year, the right-hander pitched to a 4.21 ERA in 69 appearances for the Red Sox. The Brooklyn native’s résumé includes dominant seasons with the Yankees and Rockies.
“It’s been real interesting, his journey over the last few years,” Hefner said. “He was kind of the first guy to have that big sweeper — that big horizontal sweeper and now he’s kind of introduced this north/south game where he’s got the four-seamer, he’s got the changeup. I’m interested to see where that plays and where we fit him into the game and those types of things. He’s a sneaky veteran presence that has done it at a very high level and in the playoffs.”
Miguel Castro
The veteran right-hander may have gotten the ball too often in the first half last season, leading to later struggles. Even so, he pitched to a 3.45 ERA in 69 appearances.
“He was probably on pace for 85-90 innings those first couple of months, but given all that and what we tried to help him with his pitch mix, I thought he had a great year,” Hefner said. “The walks, we definitely need to be mindful of. Relievers, we can’t put extra people on base. That is the big thing for Miggy because his stuff moves so much.”
Trevor Williams
After arriving from the Cubs at the trade deadline, the right-hander bounced between the rotation and bullpen. In 10 appearances for the Mets, he pitched to a 3.06 ERA.
“If you look back at championship teams over the last decade, most of those teams had someone like Trevor — someone who can be a Swiss Army knife and fill a lot of different roles,” Hefner said.
Drew Smith
Shoulder inflammation shortened the right-hander’s season, but he was effective in 31 appearances, pitching to a 2.40 ERA.
Smith’s fastball spin rate ranked in MLB’s 95th percentile. He averaged 95 mph with his four-seam fastball.