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The Mets’ bullpen went through tons of iterations last season, with long-term injuries to a handful of key relievers (including Dedniel Núñez, Drew Smith, and Brooks Raley) testing the depth that president of baseball operations David Stearns assembled.
Stearns was also quick to move on from relievers he acquired who weren’t performing well, with some notable examples being Jorge Lopez and Jake Diekman.
As the Mets build their relief corps for 2025, there are seemingly three guarantees and a whole lot of question marks.
Edwin Diaz will be the closer, Núñez (if back healthy as expected) should be a key setup arm, and Reed Garrett will be a factor.
Jose Butto could also be an important cog if the Mets keep him in a relief role instead of shifting him back to the rotation.
Other options already on the 40-man roster include Sean-Reid Foley, Huascar Brazoban, and recent signings Justin Hagenman (who inked a split contract) and Dylan Covey.
As far as the free agent market, the Mets could conceivably turn to one of the top bullpen arms to create a powerful 1-2 punch with Diaz. That would mean signing someone like Carlos Estevez, Tanner Scott, or Jeff Hoffman.
But while the Mets have the money and the need, it feels far likelier that they’ll look to less expensive free agent relief arms and/or the trade market while building their ‘pen (Devin Williams, who has one year left before free agency, is among those reportedly available).
When it comes to free agency, here’s who the Mets’ top five targets should be…
5. Ryne Stanek
Stanek struggled in 16.1 innings over 17 appearances for the Mets during the regular season after being acquired from the Mariners, posting a 6.06 ERA (4.39 FIP) and 1.28 WHIP while striking out 23 and walking eight (4.4 per nine).
But a switch flipped for Stanek when the postseason started. In his two appearances during the Wild Card Series against the Brewers, he fired 2.0 perfect innings — including closing out New York’s Game 1 win with Diaz unavailable.
Stanek was similarly strong over his next four appearances (two against the Phillies in the NLDS, two against the Dodgers in the NLCS), allowing just two runs on four hits across 6.0 innings while walking two and striking out seven. That included the Mets’ Game 5 win over the Dodgers at Citi Field, when Stanek fired 2.1 innings of one-run ball while surrendering just one hit, walking none, and striking out four.
As evidenced by his strong playoff performance, Stanek’s stuff still plays up when he’s on. That stuff includes one of the highest octane fastballs in baseball, with Stanek averaging 97.7 mph on his fastball in 2024. Overall last season, his arsenal was elite when it came to chase rate, whiff percentage, and strikeout rate.
Stanek can likely be had on a one-year deal, making him a low-risk, high-reward option who can pitch late in games.
4. A.J. Minter
It likely won’t be easy to pry Minter away from the Braves, where he’s spent his entire eight-year career. But the Mets should try.
The left-hander missed the end of last season due to hip surgery, but is expected to be ready for the start of the 2025 season.
Minter has been one of the best left-handed relievers in baseball since entering the league in 2017, and utilizes a three-pitch mix (four-seamer, cutter, and changeup), that has helped him generate tons of strikeouts — especially in 2022 and 2023, when his strikeout rate was 11.8 per nine.
While Minter dominates left-handers, he’s a true crossover reliever — right-handers have slashed just .232/.303/.364 against him during his career.
3. Clay Holmes
Holmes was bedeviled at times last season, blowing 13 saves for the Yankees and losing his closer job.
But his overall numbers were right around his career norms, which means they were very good. In 63.0 innings during the regular season, Holmes had a 3.14 ERA (3.02 FIP) and 1.30 WHIP with 68 strikeouts while surrendering just four home runs.
Holmes struggled for the Yanks during the ALCS, allowing three runs in 2.2 innings. But he was nearly unhittable in the ALDS and World Series, tossing a combined 9.1 scoreless innings over nine appearances while allowing just four hits, walking four, and striking out nine.
Entering his age-32 season, Holmes could be a dominant force in the eighth inning as long as he can harness his sinker.
2. Jordan Romano
Romano struggled with elbow issues in 2024, limiting him to just 13.2 innings over 15 appearances for the Blue Jays as he posted a 6.59 ERA and 1.46 WHIP. His year ended in July, when he had surgery to repair an impingement in his right elbow.
After the season, the native of Canada — who has spent all six of his professional seasons with Toronto — was non-tendered.
Romano had been the Jays’ closer since 2021, was an All-Star in 2022 and 2023, and was a truly elite force from 2020 to 2023, posting a 2.29 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 200.2 innings while striking out 251 batters — a rate of 11.3 per nine.
If Romano’s elbow woes are behind him, he should be in high demand — perhaps on a one-year, prove-it deal.
1. Jose Leclerc
Leclerc had a relatively down 2024 after tremendous campaigns in 2022 in 2023, but a lot of that seems to be randomness.
While posting a 4.32 ERA (3.48 FIP) last season, Leclerc was elite when it came to whiff rate, strikeout rate, and hard hit rate, and above average in a host of other advanced metrics — including xERA, xBA, and average exit velocity.
Leclerc’s four-seam fastball — the pitch he relies on the most — was a dominant offering, with opposing batters hitting just .176 with a .294 slugging percentage against it.
He has the pedigree to close, but Leclerc profiles perfectly as a setup man who can miss tons of bats while inducing weak contact.
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