{"id":672649,"date":"2026-04-10T18:30:44","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T18:30:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/672649\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T18:30:44","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T18:30:44","slug":"10-options-for-mets-to-fortify-bullpen-this-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/672649\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Options For Mets to Fortify Bullpen This Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

One could argue that president of baseball operations David Stearns didn’t do enough to bolster the New York Mets<\/a>‘ bullpen in the offseason. <\/p>\n

Stearns signed new closer Devin Williams (three-years, $45 million), setup man Luke Weaver (two-years, $22 million), Luis Garcia (one-year, $1.75 million) and acquired Tobias Myers in the Freddy Peralta trade. However, the Mets lost elite closer Edwin Diaz to the Los Angeles Dodgers. <\/p>\n

So far, Williams has been good, Weaver has been mostly good, Myers has a 1.13 ERA and Garcia has been a disaster. Not only is Garcia’s velocity down on all of his pitches, he has an abysmal 8.44 ERA in 5.1 innings this season. <\/p>\n

The Mets also gave the final bullpen spot to Dick Lovelady, who was designated for assignment on four separate occasions last season. Lovelady holds a 4.05 ERA in 6.2 innings this year. <\/p>\n

Realistically, if the Mets hope to be contenders this season, they will need additional contributions in their bullpen. <\/p>\n

So, here are 10 options that can help the Mets fortify this unit during the season. <\/p>\n

A.J. Minter\"New<\/p>\n

Feb 18, 2026; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; tNew York Mets pitcher A.J. Minter (33) hrows a pitch during spring training workouts at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

This is the obvious one, left-hander A.J. Minter (coming back from lat surgery). The southpaw just began a rehab assignment with Low-A St. Lucie on Thursday, where he tossed a scoreless inning on nine pitches. <\/p>\n

Minter should be back with the Mets by late-April\/early-May, meaning he will fill one of said holes in the team’s bullpen. <\/p>\n

Craig Kimbrel\"New<\/p>\n

Mar 3, 2026; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets pitcher Craig Kimbrel (46) delivers a pitch against Nicaragua during the fourth inning at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Future Hall of Fame closer Craig Kimbrel, who signed a minor league deal with the Mets in January, had a rough spring training where he struggled with command and velocity. But instead of exercising the opt-out clause in his deal after not making the team, Kimbrel chose to remain with the Mets and go to Triple-A Syracuse. <\/p>\n

Kimbrel has thrown one scoreless inning for Syracuse thus far and should factor into the Mets’ bullpen at some point this year. <\/p>\n

Michael Kopech\"Los<\/p>\n

Jun 11, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Michael Kopech (45) throws a pitch during the seventh inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | David Frerker-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Externally, there is at least one option left on the free agent market and that’s hard-throwing right-hander Michael Kopech. The veteran was limited to just 14 appearances last season with the Dodgers due to a right shoulder impingement and knee inflammation, resulting in multiple stints on the IL. <\/p>\n

However, Kopech posted a 2.45 ERA in 11 innings last year. He also had a 1.13 ERA with the Dodgers in 24 innings in 2024 after being acquired at the MLB trade deadline that season. <\/p>\n

Additional Arms That Can Make an Impact <\/p>\n

In addition to the three veterans mentioned, the Mets have a number of arms in the upper levels of the minor leagues that could potentially make an impact in the big-league bullpen this season. <\/p>\n

Those names include: Dylan Ross (nearing return from IL, arm fatigue), Ryan Lambert, Jonathan Pintaro, Dan Hammer, Nate Lavender (on rehab assignment), Carl Edwards Jr. and Anderson Severino.<\/p>\n

Bullpen candidate Dylan Ross throwing a bullpen session this morning. Ross figures to factor into the mix this year for the Mets after posting a 2.17 ERA across 3 minor league levels last season. pic.twitter.com\/oHOtJwnlhR<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Pat Ragazzo (@ragazzoreport) February 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

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