Every season for the New York Mets comes with high stakes at this point, and after a bad June, the pressure to make moves at the trade deadline is intensifying.
The Mets have a firm grasp on a playoff spot at the All-Star break, and at 55-42, they're only half a game behind the Philadelphia Phillies for first place in the National League East. But their pitching staff has become a bit worrisome.
Because their starting rotation was so injured all through the first half, the Mets have had to overuse their relievers. Some of those relievers saw dips in productivity as the season wore on, which contributed to the Mets' slide toward the end of June.
That led Jon Heyman of the New York Post to make a prediction that shouldn't be too much of a surprise for Mets fans.
On Tuesday, Heyman called the bullpen the Mets' "big question" at the trade deadline and predicted that they would "get what they need" from the trade market to shore up that weakness.
"Their (the Mets') one big question is the bullpen. Don’t blame their relievers, as they were probably worn down by overuse out of necessity," Heyman wrote.
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"With Steve Cohen’s bank account and a win-at-mostly-all costs outlook, it’s hard to imagine they won’t get what they need in a market where half the best available players just might be relievers. (Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Emmanuel Clase, Cade Smith, David Bednar, Dennis Santana and Ryan Helsley and many other fine relievers are expected to at least be discussed.)"
Edwin Díaz is firmly entrenched as the closer, but the Mets could use another setup option to supplement . They also don't have a lefty they can rely on in any capacity, as A.J. Minter's season-ending injury in April left them high and dry.
None of the names Heyman lists above are left-handed, but all would be nice additions if the Mets could find a way to land them. They've got a deep farm system, but it remains to be seen how far they're willing to deplete it.
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