After reportedly losing closer Edwin Diaz to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Mets have work to do to fill in their bullpen.
David Stearns told reporters on Tuesday he would be comfortable with Devin Williams as the closer if the season started now, so he is penciled in to that role. In addition to filling Diaz’s slot, the bullpen as a whole needs to improve from last season.
The reliever market is very deep this winter, so New York does have plenty of options to choose from. MLB insider Jon Heyman is reporting the team has interest in bringing back Tyler Rogers.
“Mets are showing interest in Tyler Rogers, the one deadline pickup who performed superbly,” Heyman wrote on X. “Unsurprisingly, Rogers has a very strong market.”
Rogers recorded a 1.98 ERA across 81 appearances this year between the San Francisco Giants and the Mets. He was acquired at the trade deadline in exchange for pitchers Jose Butto, Blake Tidwell and outfielder Drew Gilbert. In Queens, Rogers made 28 appearances and posted a 2.30 ERA with 10 strikeouts and three walks.
Over the course of his career, Rogers has not been a strikeout pitcher, so that should not be a concern to Mets fans. He is an “old school” pitcher that relies on inducing weak contact to retire hitters via ground balls or fly outs.
Spotrac is projecting Rogers to sign a two-year deal in free agency worth $22.7 million, an average of $11.35 million per year. For a team like the Mets that has a lot of areas of need, signing Rogers at this price would help them spread the resources out over the entirety of the roster.
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