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The Mets’ biggest misfire last offseason might have been failing to adequately stock the bullpen.
Edwin Diaz’s torn patellar tendon at the World Baseball Classic changed the dynamic completely, but even before that March night in Miami, there were legitimate questions about whether the Mets were an arm or two short in the bullpen.
David Stearns has begun his reign as president of baseball operations with the presumption Diaz will be ready for spring training, and that’s a good start in constructing next season’s bullpen.
But behind Diaz there is a gigantic void.
Last Friday’s non-tender deadline was largely noticed by the Mets’ fan base because the team decided to unload Daniel Vogelbach.
But more subtly a referendum was passed on last season’s bullpen as Trevor Gott, Jeff Brigham and Sam Coonrod also were non-tendered. Drew Smith was tendered a contract, but the Mets, according to sources, were also speaking to teams who might be interested in the erratic right-hander.
Earlier in the month, Adam Ottavino surprisingly selected free agency rather than exercise his player option for next season. It has left the Mets with Diaz, Smith and Brooks Raley as known major league commodities in the bullpen and plenty of room for improvement.
It could take creativity through trades for the Mets to get it right, but there are options on the free-agent market.
Those possibilities start with Josh Hader, whom Stearns (as president of baseball operations in Milwaukee) traded to the Padres in 2022. Hader struggled in his first half-season in San Diego, but returned to his electric ways last season, when he pitched to a 1.28 ERA in 61 appearances and recorded 85 strikeouts in 56 1/3 innings.
Hader rejected a qualifying offer from the Padres, meaning the Mets would have to surrender a draft pick to sign him. That might eliminate the Mets from seriously pursuing Hader. The flip side is the idea of a Diaz-Hader bullpen and the potential of being untouchable in the eighth and ninth innings.
David Robertson performed admirably in the closer’s role in Diaz’s absence last season, and in September, indicated he would be open to a reunion with the Mets.
The reasons for pause: Robertson turns 39 in April, and he scuffled in his two-month stint with the Marlins, who acquired him at the trade deadline. But Robertson was also outspoken about his disappointment over leaving a spot in which he was comfortable and having to relocate during a season. If Robertson is going to continue pitching, it might only be for a club relatively close to his Rhode Island home, which could work to the Mets’ advantage in potential negotiations.
The easy route to a World Series title might be just signing Will Smith. The veteran has pitched for the past three World Series winners (Braves, Astros and Rangers) and would give the Mets a high-end lefty to pair with Raley. Andrew Chafin (without the World Series rings) also falls into that category.
Jordan Hicks and Matt Moore are other free agents who could make sense for the Mets.
The team also could look to fill one spot in their bullpen from their rotation depth. Team officials have discussed who among Tylor Megill, Jose Butto and Joey Lucchesi could best serve the Mets if needed from the bullpen.
But whether the team looks in that direction likely won’t be determined until the Mets formulate a starting rotation and decide whether they have enough depth. Already, the rotation depth took a hit with David Peterson’s hip labrum surgery that will cost him the early portion of next season.
Over the past six seasons, the Mets employed six different bench coaches, and they added a seventh to the list this week when they hired former Blue Jays manager John Gibbons as part of Carlos Mendoza’s new-look staff.
The six: Gary DiSarcina, Jim Riggleman, Hensley Meulens, Dave Jauss, Glenn Sherlock and Eric Chavez.
Prior to tabbing Gibbons as bench coach, according to sources, the Mets also considered former Angels manager Phil Nevin, who worked with Mendoza on Aaron Boone’s staff with the Yankees.
“I am proud of my friend [Mendoza],” Nevin told The Post this week. “David Stearns is going to do his due diligence with everyone, and when you sit down with Mendy, it doesn’t take long to understand how great of a person he is and his knowledge of the game is off the charts. He’s got a lot of leadership qualities. I think he’s going to be awesome there.”
The Mets could be adding a coaching position.
Team officials have discussed the idea of hiring an assistant pitching coach who would work in collaboration with pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, director of pitching development Eric Jagers and pitching coordinator Jomo Arnold.
The assistant pitching coach would be empowered with many of the same duties as Hefner, who last season may have been spread too thin. Assistant major league coach Danny Barnes — who is returning to the team — has served the past two seasons as the de facto assistant pitching coach. But the Mets ideally would like to utilize Barnes in other areas and install a coach with a pitching background to complement Hefner.
Former Mets David Wright, Jose Reyes and Bartolo Colon are among the new names on the Hall of Fame ballot, which was released this week.
Wright’s goal in this first year of eligibility should be receiving the required 10 percent of the vote to remain on the ballot. That might not be an easy task for Wright, whose career was Cooperstown-bound until injuries derailed it.
Reyes and Colon seem like one-and-done candidates who won’t receive the necessary 10 percent of the vote, so we’ll use this space to reflect on their respective careers.
In his prime, Reyes was close to the total package as a shortstop, albeit lacking great power numbers, but leg injuries removed much of his explosiveness and his career suffered.
But early in his career, there wasn’t a more exciting sight than Reyes hitting a ball into the gap and racing for a triple. He was also a good defender and legitimate offensive performer (with his 2011 batting title as Exhibit A).
Colon would be a hard sell for Cooperstown even with better numbers — he was suspended for PED usage, and as players with otherwise shining resumes have discovered, that is a non-starter for Hall of Fame consideration.
Give Colon credit for reinventing his image later in his career, particularly with the Mets.
Whereas PED offenders usually become perceived as villains, Colon managed to transform into a lovable everyman and built a mystique by revealing so little about himself.
Colon won 247 games, but his lifetime 4.12 ERA will sink his Hall of Fame candidacy as much as his PED suspension with Oakland in 2012.