One of the New York Mets’ top priorities this offseason will be to rebuild and improve their bullpen. And a notable reporter for the team believes one of the pieces they could add is a top relief arm from a division rival.
Last season, New York had one of the best closers in the game in Edwin Diaz. However, after that, the rest of the bullpen was hit or miss. That is why they were very active before the summer trade deadline, and added not one, not two, but three veteran arms to their bullpen.
While the additions of former St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley, lefty Gregory Soto, and submariner Tyler Rogers seemed great on paper, only Rogers delivered in the second half. While Helsley was an outright disaster. Now, President David Stearns must rebuild his pen again from scratch, and he might need to find a new closer, too, if Diaz gets a substantial offer from a competitor in free agency this winter.
Well, SNY Mets reporter Anthony McCarron believes one player the Mets will target will be familiar to New York fans: Raisel Iglesias.
“You take him away from the Braves, and he would be another nice addition of a big arm at the back end of that bullpen,” McCarron said this week. “He had a bad start to the season last year, and since he’s going to be 36 this year, everybody’s like, ‘Well, what’s going to happen with this guy?’ He had a 1.25 ERA in his last 45 appearances. So he got it together. He probably will take a short-term deal too, which will be attractive to the Mets.”
Could Raisel Iglesias be a possible Mets replacement for Edwin Diaz?
While there is a lot of anxiety among Mets fans over Pete Alonso’s future, there is a possibility they could lose All-Star closer Edwin Diaz this offseason. After getting a record deal in 2023, the 31-year-old opted out of the final year of his contract to test his value in free agency this winter.
As good as Alonso is, replacing a big slugger is a bit easier to do than replacing an elite closer. So the three-time All-Star will certainly have interest in the open market. If he has an asking price that New York is unwilling to meet (+$20 million annually for multiple years), Iglesias certainly would be a far more affordable short-term replacement option.
The 11-year veteran has posted around 30 or more saves seven times during his career. He also has a career 2.90 ERA and 1.048 WHIP. There is certainly risk with his age, but players like Kenley Jansen and Aroldis Chapman have shown in the last couple of years that older closers are adjusting in ways to stay very good well into their 30s.
