{"id":160465,"date":"2025-07-08T09:13:12","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T09:13:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/160465\/"},"modified":"2025-07-08T09:13:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T09:13:12","slug":"mets-could-make-move-for-impactful-reliever-within-the-next-few-days-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/160465\/","title":{"rendered":"Mets could make move for \u2018impactful reliever\u2019 within the next few days"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New York Mets<\/a> have taken four of their first six games in July, but don\u2019t let the record fool you.<\/p>\n

While the bats and starting pitching have done enough to squeak out wins, the bullpen has quietly become a ticking time bomb. If the front office doesn\u2019t act quickly, the entire structure could collapse.<\/p>\n

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Injuries Have Shredded the Mets\u2019 Relief Corps<\/p>\n

Right now, the Mets\u2019 bullpen resembles a MASH unit more than a major league staff. The injured list tells the story.<\/p>\n

Max Kranick, Jose Butto, Dedniel N\u00fa\u00f1ez, A.J. Minter, Brooks Raley, Drew Smith, and Danny Young are all sidelined. And yes \u2014 those are just the relievers.<\/p>\n

\"Dedniel<\/p>\n

Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a brutal stretch, and manager Carlos Mendoza has been forced to stitch innings together with a patchwork of minor leaguers and bargain signings.<\/p>\n

The Front Office Knows Help Is Urgent<\/p>\n

SNY reporter Andy Martino recently joined Baseball Night in New York and hinted at what could be coming before the deadline.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019m told that we could see a relatively impactful reliever trade fairly early in the month,\u201d Martino said, via Mets Batflip<\/a>. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t guarantee it, but that\u2019s a contrast to the starting pitching market.\u201d<\/p>\n

That urgency makes perfect sense. The rotation is getting two star-level reinforcements soon in Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea. The bullpen? It\u2019s barely held together with duct tape.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s No Time to Wait \u2014 Reinforcements Must Come Soon<\/p>\n

Raley is nearing a return from his rehab stint, and the Mets hope to get at least a few other arms back in time.<\/p>\n

But others \u2014 like Minter and Young\u2014 are done for the year. There\u2019s no cavalry riding in. It\u2019s up to the front office to plug the gaps.<\/p>\n

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Losing Young and Minter has left the bullpen without a reliable left-handed option for high-leverage spots. That\u2019s a major hole.<\/p>\n

Right-Handed Depth Is a Growing Concern<\/p>\n

While a lefty would help, the Mets also desperately need a dependable right-handed reliever to eat innings and bridge to Edwin D\u00edaz.<\/p>\n

The recent losses of Dedniel Nunez and Jose Butto were especially painful. He had shown he could handle multi-inning outings and keep games close.<\/p>\n

In their absence, innings that used to feel manageable now come with a sense of dread. One mistake, and the game could unravel.<\/p>\n

At least Butto is expected back soon, but the Mets could use some help.<\/p>\n

\"MLB:<\/p>\n

Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Minor League Fill-ins Can\u2019t Shoulder the Load Forever<\/p>\n

Yes, unheralded arms have stepped up \u2014 and the Mets deserve credit for finding hidden gems to get by. But it\u2019s not sustainable.<\/p>\n

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There\u2019s a reason these guys weren\u2019t in the bigs already. Opposing teams will eventually adjust, and the regression could hit hard and fast.<\/p>\n

This is a team trying to stay in contention. That means depth isn\u2019t a luxury \u2014 it\u2019s a necessity.<\/p>\n

Expect a Bullpen Trade Soon \u2014 Maybe Very Soon<\/p>\n

If Martino\u2019s reporting proves accurate, the Mets may be close to pulling the trigger on a bullpen deal. And honestly, they can\u2019t wait much longer.<\/p>\n

The trade market for relievers always heats up before starting pitchers, and New York might be wise to strike early before prices spike.<\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s a proven lefty to replace Minter or a versatile righty to replace Nunez, something needs to happen \u2014 soon.<\/p>\n

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Like a boat with too many holes, this bullpen is taking on water fast. The Mets can only bail it out for so long.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Mets are quietly concerned about veteran\u2019s problematic knee<\/a><\/p>\n

Related Headlines<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The New York Mets have taken four of their first six games in July, but don\u2019t let the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":160466,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2396],"tags":[634,24222,5,26,1449,1563,2110,1130,1087,16760,1716,9670,101,4,1690,61,2548,4203,1268],"class_list":{"0":"post-160465","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-mets","8":"tag-a-j-minter","9":"tag-andy-martino","10":"tag-baseball","11":"tag-brooks-raley","12":"tag-butto","13":"tag-danny-young","14":"tag-dedniel-nunez","15":"tag-drew-smith","16":"tag-edwin-diaz","17":"tag-jose-butto","18":"tag-kodai-senga","19":"tag-max-kranick","20":"tag-mets","21":"tag-mlb","22":"tag-new-york","23":"tag-new-york-mets","24":"tag-newyork","25":"tag-newyorkmets","26":"tag-sean-manaea"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/114816850783160482","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160465","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=160465"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160465\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/160466"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=160465"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=160465"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=160465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}