Let’s do some junior detective work around the Mets and the trade deadline. 

David Stearns on Monday described the bullpen as his priority between now and July 31, which is understandable given the Mets this season have lost four key contributors: Max Kranick, Dedniel Núñez and lefties A.J. Minter and Danny Young. 

On Monday night, the Mets received six one-run innings from their bullpen — an obvious positive in rallying to beat the Angels. But the downturn by the Mets began June 13, and those six innings gave them 139 ²/₃ pen innings since then (second most in the majors) and even with those shutout frames, the relief ERA in that time was 5.61 (third worst). 

Thus, even with a strong small-sample return from lefty Brooks Raley, the Mets ideally must add at least two relievers, one a southpaw.