Raley\u2019s lefty cohort in the bullpen, A.J. Minter \u2014 who is also a free agent after this season \u2014 holds the same mindset: his days with the Mets are likely numbered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t the ideal situation for the Mets and what we wanted to do here,\u201d Raley said Tuesday at American Family Field. \u201cBut it\u2019s also the reality of what\u2019s to come.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Together, Raley and Minter have given the Mets a top one-two combination from the left side in a bullpen that serves as a team strength.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Raley, 38, entered the day with a 2.02 ERA in 40 appearances this season. He first arrived to the Mets in a trade with the Rays before the 2023 season and then re-signed with the club last year while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20260712_MetsRedSox093cs.jpg\")
New York Mets pitcher Brooks Raley (25) throws a pitch in the tenth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Citi Field, Sunday, July 12, 2026. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST<\/p>\n
Minter, 32, began play with a 1.80 ERA in 20 appearances this season. He signed a two-year contract worth $22 million with the club before last season, but was lost in April to a torn lat. He returned this season in May and has found success with a fastball that has averaged 92.9 mph \u2014 a drop from 94.5 mph last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Minter, a former Braves reliever, noted this is the first time he\u2019s been part of a trade deadline for a team that is selling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI am going to keep doing my best until they tell me to go somewhere else,\u201d Minter said. \u201cJust keep going out there and performing for this team and go out there and win and see what happens.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Both relievers are enthralled by the idea of jumping into a pennant race in the next 1-2 weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s that optimism and I think that is the goal of every player when they put on a uniform, no matter what uniform that is, to go compete for a championship,\u201d Raley said. \u201cI wish we had done more while I was here. I really didn\u2019t get to do the 2024 [NLCS] run, rehabbing from surgery. I think all of us feel a certain amount of responsibility for not getting it done this year. But we are where we are.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Minter, who pitched for the 2021 World Series-winning Braves, has appeared in 20 postseason games.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes the grind of 162 games all worth it,\u201d Minter said. \u201cThere\u2019s no words to describe a postseason atmosphere, and that is the reason why we play this game. It\u2019s exciting for that opportunity. At the same time, I am still a Met and it\u2019s frustrating to see where this year has gone, and we try to look at what we could do better.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
If these are Minter\u2019s final days with the organization, what will be his memory of his tenure?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been just sad,\u201d he said. \u201cThe New York Mets have changed my life forever. Going into free agency, I wanted to compete and win a World Series here and I had full expectations of doing so, especially with the talent we have. I feel for this organization because they do everything they possibly can to win here, from the owner to the front office to the coaches to the players. They just want to win and you can see that and it\u2019s just frustrating to not be able to deliver that to this fanbase.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"A.J.](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2286208967.jpg\")
A.J. Minter of the New York Mets throws a pitch in the seventh inning during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on July 19, 2026. Getty Images<\/p>\n
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Raley said he never expected to stay four seasons with the Mets.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I think I have excelled at my position,\u201d he said. \u201cI think I have been really consistent, and this is one of the best, if not the best, division in baseball to play in. Citi Field, a special full ballpark and atmosphere. I have really enjoyed my time.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MILWAUKEE \u2014 Brooks Raley counted down the minutes to the trade deadline in the visitors clubhouse in Kansas…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":758105,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2396],"tags":[5,101,4,3449,1690,61,2548,4203,185],"class_list":["post-758104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-mets","tag-baseball","tag-mets","tag-mlb","tag-mlb-trade-deadline","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-mets","tag-newyork","tag-newyorkmets","tag-sports"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116961258295044264","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/758104","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=758104"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/758104\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/758105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=758104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=758104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=758104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}