The New York Mets’ bullpen for the 2024 campaign is already looking good.
Edwin Diaz, who missed the entire 2023 season after blowing out his knee in March, will return to full health by spring training and will continue to dominate.
The team also claimed the talented Penn Murfee from waivers, and he will be ready to contribute by the summer.
Now, the team made another decision towards building a dominant late-inning crew.
“Mets will be picking up Brooks Raley’s $6.5M option (and not buying him out for $1.25M). Not a difficult call there,” MLB insider Jon Heyman tweeted.
Mets will be picking up Brooks Raley’s $6.5M option (and not buying him out for $1.25M). Not a difficult call there.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 3, 2023
There aren’t many truly dominant left-handed relievers in baseball, but Raley certainly is one.
In 2023, he posted a solid 2.80 ERA in 54.2 innings, with a 1.26 WHIP and 61 strikeouts.
He was even better the year before with the Tampa Bay Rays, with a 2.68 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP.
The rest of his career hasn’t been that impressive, but recent performance says bringing him back at that price was a no-brainer decision for the Mets.
The Mets had a really disappointing season in which they missed the postseason and actually traded some high-profile players to get prospects.
It meant saying goodbye to the 2023 campaign, but with a good offseason, they have a path at contending as soon as 2024.
If that’s the case, Raley will be of great help dominating in the bullpen.
He is 35, so he might not have much time left as an active major league player.
He will do his best to help the Mets return to contention for a spot in the postseason.
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