Laura Albanese: Mets' bullpen situation may garner some optimism after all
Mets pitcher Kodai Senga reacts after an out in the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants on Sept. 6, 2026. Credit: Howard Simmons
When the Mets gutted their bullpen at the trade deadline, the assumption was that president of baseball operations David Stearns would have plenty of offseason work to do in revamping a relief corps now populated with mostly unknown quantities.
That still holds true, despite the fact that, entering Tuesday, the bullpen had held a very respectable 3.36 ERA dating to the Aug. 3 fire sale — ninth in the majors in that span.
Tuesday afternoon, though, provided another intriguing reminder. This was the day that Devin Williams, attempting to return from a right shoulder strain, threw his first bullpen. Before that, Reed Garrett (remember him?) threw a bullpen, too — a significant stride in his return from Tommy John surgery.
And when you zoom out and look at what they have now and what they'll return next season, it may very well be possible that Stearns’ 2027 bullpen construction may not be as massive of an overhaul as previously believed. In fact, there are a few very interesting pieces to consider — and some that are making strong cases for a longer look when the games actually matter.
For one thing, while it would certainly be nice for Williams to get a few innings in before the season’s end, interim manager Andy Green told reporters in Miami Tuesday that it wasn’t a dire necessity.
“Regardless of if he throws an inning or two or three or four before this year is over, we’ve got confidence that he’ll be fine,” he said. And frankly, though Williams has had a very rocky inaugural year as a Met, there’s not much he can prove in a few meaningless outings — save, perhaps, that he’ll be good to go for next season.
No, what’s more valuable is having Kodai Senga continue to explore the closer’s role. And while Green earlier this week didn't guarantee that Senga would always get the ninth if Williams returns, “he’ll continue to get high leverage,” he said. “I think getting a diversity of experience for him is actually a really good thing.”
You can read between the lines there: Senga has said he wants to be a starter, but the Mets are dedicated to this experiment, and want to explore its intricacies. How well does he do in back-to-back outings? Can they gather more data on how he fares with inherited runners. What about a four-out save? Green mentioned all three things outright. This isn’t an academic exercise. It’s a blueprint.
Senga has seven saves and a 2.03 ERA since becoming the de facto closer on the day immediately following the deadline. He notched that seventh save in Tuesday’s 7-5 win over the Marlins. But the truth is no one knows how he’s going to fare when the stakes really matter. But it at least looks a little promising, doesn’t it?
There are other areas to explore, too. Nate Lavender, who’s had an arduous journey to the major leagues, has been nothing short of a revelation — the rare reverse-split lefty who hasn’t allowed an earned run in his first 14 big-league innings, allowing just seven hits with 17 strikeouts. That stretch — 14 scoreless appearances to begin his major-league career — is second-longest in franchise history.
And what about Garrett, a perfectly acceptable workhorse who's flashed moments of brilliance — kicking off the 2024 season allowing just one earned run in his first 21 innings, and no earned runs over a 13-game span during the stretch run that year? Tylor Megill is also expected to return from Tommy John surgery in 2027, and though his career as a Met has been frustrating, there has long been thought that he would profile better as a reliever.
Daniel Duarte, meanwhile, has been excellent since being recalled — going into Tuesday with a 2.00 ERA in 27 innings. Even journeyman Robert Stock, set to start Wednesday to help preserve the Mets' young rotational arms, seems to be a very real option.
Stock, 36, will enter his first year of arbitration next season. And Green’s curiosity is piqued.
“Thinking of 2027, I think we’ll see him out of the pen a little bit as well and we’ll continue to try to figure out what kind of Swiss Army knife he could be for us,” he told reporters Tuesday. “That’s valuable to have as somebody who can bounce back and forth from those roles.”
Tobias Myers will no doubt have a shot at proving he can fill that role, too, and Austin Warren and Dedniel Nunez are all under team control.
Is it a perfect bullpen? No. And Stearns will have to acquire pieces to build this out and fulfill his vision. Not all those are guys are going to pan out. But save for Senga and Williams, all these arms come at bargain basement prices that give him the flexibility to do so.
So sure, the unit needs work — and they could sure use some vintage Williams next year — but it may not be as far off the mark as previously believed. Granted, relievers are fickle creatures and today’s success doesn’t always predicate tomorrow’s dominance. But it’s a mostly low-risk gambit, and that’s a start.
Or rather, for the Mets, that’s a relief.
Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.
