The Mets claimed left-hander Richard Lovelady off waivers from the Washington Nationals on Saturday afternoon, reuniting with the reliever called Dicky for the fourth time in less than a year.
Dicky may love ladies, but the Mets sure love Dicky. The team is familiar with him and what he brings, and they like his versatility. Lovelady can pitch in various situations and eat innings when needed. It’s a depth move for a bullpen that looks much different this season than it has the last few.
The departure of closer Edwin Diaz is obviously the biggest change, but the Mets are confident they can absorb the loss with right-hander Devin Williams. But gone are the days of having a group full of closers. The Mets had several pitchers capable of closing games last year, especially after the trade deadline.
There were a lot of high-strikeout pitchers with high-leverage experience, but there were a lot of pitchers who profiled similarly. The current group of relievers is still high on arms worthy of pitching late in games with tight leads, but the current group has more variety of pitches and deliveries.
There are also some question marks.
Williams and Luke Weaver, the right-handed tandem that worked late in games for the Yankees last season, are now in Queens. Williams and Weaver are also both throwing cutters, though Weaver has always thrown one, but he’s planning on increasing the usage this season. For Williams, the hope is that the cutter will get guys to lay off of his changeup, the pitch that has made his career.
The Mets don’t want to label Weaver as the go-to setup man, though that’s likely the case. The matchups are more important, which is where left-hander Brooks Raley comes into play. The veteran lefty is back for his fourth season with the Mets, healthy this year after sitting out much of 2024 and 2025 to rehab from UCL surgery, and he could be the only lefty on the Opening Day roster.
A.J. Minter, who tore his lat last season, will start the season on the injured list, but may not be there for long. It’s a conservative measure to keep the former Atlanta Braves reliever healthy. Minter came to the Mets last season fresh off hip surgery, then suffered the lat injury. He’s now healthy and looking forward to contributing.
The Mets are planning on using a long reliever in a more traditional way this season, keeping right-hander Tobias Myers stretched out. Manager Carlos Mendoza has pointed out on more than one occasion that Myers can pitch in high-leverage innings as well, but he might be more valuable eating innings, especially early in the season when the starters aren’t always able to go deep into outings regularly.
That’s been a particular problem for the Mets in recent seasons. They’re hoping that changes this season, but already, left-hander Sean Manaea has had some shaky starts this spring with diminished velocity and what appears to be a lower arm slot.
The Mets have little choice but to start the season with a six-man rotation since only Nolan McLean has minor league options, so rest shouldn’t be an issue, but that does mean one fewer bullpen arm. With Myers, the Mets like that they can use him in several different situations.
Right-handers Huascar Brazobán, Luis Garcia and Craig Kimbrel are the projected pitchers to round out the group. However, we could see some different pieces here, especially since Brazobán has a minor league option. If the Mets want to carry two left-handers, they could add Lovelady to this group.
Kimbrel, 38, and Garcia, 39, have been able to continually reinvent themselves, something the Mets feel that not only they can benefit from, but something their young arms can benefit from as well. Count Kimbrel among the pitchers who are working on cutters this spring as well.
The depth is questionable. Right-hander Justin Hagenman was placed on the 60-day injured list Saturday with a rib fracture. Brandon Waddell, Kevin Herget will start in Triple-A, but they’re out of minor league options. Right-hander Austin Warren has one option left. Left-hander Nate Lavender is a dark-horse candidate to make his big league debut this season.
The bullpen is the position group that will change the most throughout the season. The Opening Day guys are certainly important, but the Mets can go in several different directions with the relievers throughout the season. Upgrades and waiver claims will be made as necessary. No matter how strong a bullpen looks on paper, the one thing you can always count on is that the depth will always be tested.