The New York Mets offloaded several of their bullpen arms during the trade deadline this year. The state of the bullpen is shaky, at best, but the good news is that several relievers are set to hit the free-agent market this offseason.

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns acknowledged in his end-of-year press conference that he hasn’t done a good enough job in constructing the roster. He has a chance to redeem himself if he can lure a couple of effective relievers to join the team and help bring the Mets back to playing meaningful baseball.

Here are five soon-to-be free-agent bullpen arms the Mets should pursue.

A.J. Minter

Minter was one of the relievers the Mets parted with in July, capitalizing on a successful half-season from Minter to get a solid return of two prospects from the Minnesota Twins. Minter is now set to be a free agent, and David Stearns should seriously pursue a reunion.

Minter appeared in just 36 games across parts of two seasons with the Mets; his opportunities were limited due to injury and his eventual trade. He was great when available, recording a 1.64 ERA (13 games in 2025) and a 2.35 ERA (23 games in 2026). He continued his success with the Twins, putting together a 2.78 ERA in 25 appearances.

The 33-year-old has been a solid reliever for most of his career, and he’s proven to be comfortable enough under the bright lights in New York. Age is certainly a concern as Minter’s not getting any younger, but there are no indications that his pitching ability will drop off drastically. A lefty reliever will be a need for the Mets, and Minter should be the prime target.

Jason Adam

Adam has been overshadowed by Mason Miller in San Diego for the past few seasons, but he has consistently been one of the best relievers in baseball. At 35 years old, he has a career ERA of 2.68. He was right around that mark in 2026 with a 2.62 ERA in 38 appearances.

Adam has three full seasons with a sub-2.00 ERA, and the highest ERA he’s posted in a season in which he’s pitched at least 20 innings was 2.91 with the Blue Jays in 2019. Basically, if Adam can stay healthy, he’s an absolute weapon. He’s not a strikeout artist, but he’s great at limiting baserunners and especially home runs.

Despite Adam’s career-long success, he’s never been a closer, but he certainly has the ability to be one. Devin Williams is likely to be the Mets’ closer in 2027, but bringing in Adam would ensure the Mets have a reliable setup man and a potential pivot at closer if Williams doesn’t work out.

Bryan Abreu

A lifelong Astro, Abreu is finally hitting the open market. Despite never being an All-Star in his career, Abreu has been a quality reliever since he debuted in 2019. Outside of a poor season in 2021, Abreu has been solid at his worst and unhittable at his best.

2026 was Abreu’s worst season since that 2021 campaign, recording a 3.73 ERA in 66 appearances. His WHIP was well above 1.300 as he struggled with command and walking batters, but Abreu has always been a pretty wild thrower.

In four full seasons (2022 and 2025), Abreu compiled a 2.30 ERA. Still just 29 years old, the righty reliever is a prime candidate to bounce back in 2027. Abreu needs to have better control with his pitches, but he’s a high-reward target that would certainly reinvigorate the Mets bullpen.

Taylor Clarke

Clarke broke out in 2026, posting a 2.96 ERA in 71 games with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Prior to this season, he had a career 4.73 ERA and was a low-leverage reliever. The late-career success for the 33-year-old aligns perfectly with his chance to get paid on the open market.

Clarke posted an exact 1.000 WHIP in 2026, allowing just 1.7 walks per nine innings. His strikeout numbers were way down, punching out 5.5 per nine, well below his career average. But Clarke clearly found that pitching to contact works in his favor, and with limited baserunners allowed, strong results followed.

Despite his strong season, Taylor Clarke did not record a save. In fact, he has just eight saves in over 300 career appearances. The Mets aren’t looking for a closer, so Clarke fits exactly the kind of reliever they should target: a reliable setup man or high-leverage pitcher who bridges the gap to Devin Williams, whom the Mets hope will have a better season in 2027.

Tim Hill

The Mets have seemingly been connected to Tim Hill for a few years now. The funky, lefty reliever re-signed last winter on a one-year deal with the Yankees, and after a poor season, it’s less likely they bring him back.

Hill posted a 4.60 ERA in 2026, but a 3.36 ERA in 2024 and a 3.09 ERA in 2025 suggest he can definitely find his way back on track. Hill will be 37 at the start of next year, so age is certainly a factor, but his pitching style should allow him to keep pitching effectively even as he nears the final years of his career.

The ultimate contact pitcher, Hill struck out just under four batters per nine innings this season while allowing a WHIP of 1.142. Hill does a good job of limiting walks, but if teams can string base hits together against him, that’s where he runs into trouble.

The Mets could see if he has anything left to offer, but they shouldn’t rely on him to pitch high-leverage innings if they pursue him.

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