The New York Mets are surprising the MLB with their continual push for the postseason thanks to their starting rotation and revived offense. General manager Sandy Alderson addressed the club's needs prior to the trade deadline and there have been clear improvements.
However, their bullpen has been a bit shaky as of late and rumors indicate trade talks could take place before the Aug. 31 waiver deadline. Reliever Bobby Parnell, on top of struggling mightily, was placed on the disabled list yesterday with what the team called right shoulder tendinitis.
Manager Terry Collins approached Parnell about taking a break due to his hardship on the mound one season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and it looks like he'll do just that. The right-hander is 1-3 with a 5.59 ERA, 1.86 WHIP and 10 strikeouts in 23 games (19 1/3 innings) this season. Compared to previous seasons, this is not at all the Parnell that used to pitch for the Mets.
In a corresponding move, Alderson called up right-hander Logan Verrett from Triple-A Las Vegas, but will he be enough to patch up the struggling bullpen beyond Jeurys Familia and Tyler Clippard? Verrett appeared in six games with New York earlier this season and owns a 0.73 ERA, 0.65 WHIP and 12 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings.
The Mets have time to experiment before the Aug. 31 waiver deadline. While Mike Puma of the New York Post reported Alderson doesn't "foresee us making a trade," there are many relievers that have cleared waivers that may interest the team. While Vic Black remains an option in the near future, can Alderson really rely on another injured player who has yet to pitch in 2015?
Their bullpen ERA (3.11) does rank sixth in the MLB, but the unit has not looked entirely stable. The team lost Jenrry Mejia, Jerry Blevins, Josh Edgin and Rafael Montero for the season and reliever Alex Torres was cut after an unsuccessful stint ever since coming over in a trade this past offseason. The bullpen's strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.28) ranks 24th in the league, which may indicate it needs another shutdown reliever.
Fernando Rodney (SEA), Addison Reed (ARZ), John Axford (COL), Edward Mujica (OAK) and David Aardsma (ATL) are all available after clearing waivers this month, which means there is still time to make a deal and improve the bullpen.
"The Mets can point to positive overall pen numbers," writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. "But the trust level is ebbing as the pressure gauge on the season ratchets up ...
"Before the end of this month - and, really, the sooner the better - the Mets general manager must acquire another late-inning reliever."
Sherman goes on to mention the names above, all of whom are former closers and have plenty of late-inning experience (although they haven't been of the "shutdown" variety this season).
No, none of them are particularly having exceptional (or even solid) campaigns, but perhaps a change of scenery can help a few of these arms that are on losing clubs. Rodney is having his worst season since 2008 on the lowly Mariners; Axford would likely see improvements moving from Coors Field to Citi Field; Reed has rebounded nicely after spending some time in Triple-A; Mujica has been on the two worst teams in the AL this season; and Aardsma spent 2013 with the Mets and hasn't been so bad (until recently) with the Braves.
None of these names are significant upgrades at this point, but as the season progresses into September the Mets might need some others they can call upon considering their bullpen is thin.
Alderson surprised the baseball world prior to the non-waiver deadline. Will he make a last-minute security acquisition before the Aug. 31 waiver deadline?
