An Improved Bullpen

It has been some time since I have posted and there is a lot to talk about. The first aspect, not surprisingly, is the bullpen. I give Omar Minaya a lot of credit. He recognized the problems of last season and he looked to address them.

First, Minaya got the best closer on the market. K-Rod should help close out games for the Mets. Honestly, I never felt comfortable with Billy Wagner on the mound and I am hoping that K-Rod will instill a feeling of confidence. Credit to Minaya for not stopping there, he went out and got JJ Putz as the setup man. Putz has not performed this role for a number of years but hopefully, he will fill that spot nicely. It really has been some time since the Mets have had an eighth inning guy and a ninth inning guy. While I do not like this approach, it is what baseball has become.

The truth, however, is I do not think the bullpen is complete. With the way the game is played today, they need a seventh inning guy as well. This allows you to get six quality innings out of your starter and then put the ball in the hands of the pen. Perhaps Duaner Sanchez can fill that role. Maybe with the two new guys, it will up Sanchez’s game and give him a bit more confidence. I also might be interested to see if Eddie Kunz could fill that role. Coming in for the seventh would certainly relieve some of the pressure of closing games and allow both Kunz and the Mets to breathe a little easier than having him immediately try to close games.

I am fine with getting rid of Schoenweiss and bringing in Robertson. Still, that means that Feliciano is the only left hander. Another left hander might be helpful. I think Brian Stokes would fill the role of middle relief and spot starter very well.

As I see it, one more relief pitcher would make a huge difference. Still, clearly there bullpen has been much improved.

Up next, stay tuned for conversations about starting pitching, first base, second base and the outfield.

PS It is easier to tell the Mets what they should do when I do not have to worry about purse strings.