New York Mets Lose Key Reliever to IL, Bullpen Needs Increase Ahead of Deadline

New York Mets lose key reliever to IL, bullpen needs increase ahead of deadline.

A decent sized loss, but there could have been worse timing for it, given where things currently stand on the baseball calendar.  

Relief pitcher Drew Smith (strained right lat muscle) has landed on the 15-day IL for the Mets, thus turning up the heat for the team to pursue multiple bullpen arms ahead of the August 2 trade deadline, which is in five days. 

The Athletic was the first to report on this news and MLB.com revealed Smith's injury to be a lat strain, which was discovered after giving the righty a recent MRI. 

Mets made this move official shortly afterward, with a corresponding move coming before Friday's game tomorrow. 

After an impressive start to the season, earning him a larger role in the bullpen, Smith has struggled with a 5.29 ERA in his last 15 appearances and 4.24 ERA in his last 30 appearances, in which he has struggled with surrendering the long ball. Regardless, Smith, Adam Ottavino and Seth Lugo, who's coming off a vintage and clutch performance in the Mets' latest win, have served as Edwin Diaz's main bridge arms to this date. The Mets also traded away promising rookie reliever Colin Holderman last week for offensive help in DH Daniel Vogelbach. 

The Mets have already been talking to the Chicago Cubs about a potential trade for catcher Willson Contreras and righty reliever David Robertson, but beyond New York's perceived commitment to this pair, nothing is close or imminent on that front as of yet. 

Should they acquire a high-leverage arm such as Robertson or someone else, the need for going after one more late-inning reliever all of a sudden moves high-up on their list of priorities, with Smith about to hit the IL. 

Beyond Robertson, names such as Jorge Lopez, Andrew Chafin and Joe Mantiply, among others have been linked to the Mets. 

Former Mets top prospect and current Detroit Tigers reliever Michael Fulmer could be a fit. This would be full-circle type moment for Fulmer and the Mets, as he was the main trade chip alongside Luis Cessa in the 2015 deadline deal that saw Yoenis Cespedes get a one-way ticket from Detroit to Queens. This move of course propelled the Mets to a National League pennant. Current Mets team president Sandy Alderson was GM here at the time of this trade. 

Unlike Robertson, who dominates left-handed batters, Fulmer, a righty, is shutting down right-handed batters this year more so than vice-versa (RHP, .122, LHP, .283). The Mets have a need for a left-hander in their bullpen, but Robertson would suffice, given his splits (lefties hitting .137 off of him). 

Both Fulmer and Robertson are set to become free agents after the season and play for two of the biggest potential sellers.

On an additional note, the Mets are expected to get a healthy Trevor May back from the IL in D.C. next week. May needs to get through back-to-back rehab appearances this weekend in Triple-A Syracuse, which is the last test for him, before he is deemed ready to rejoin the major league club for the first time since early-May. 

While a healthy May could be a significant boost for the bullpen, the Mets must strongly consider adding at least two late-inning relief arms in the next five days. 

Read More:

- Sources: Mets Discussing Willson Contreras, David Robertson Package With Cubs

- Mets Focused on Other Options as Josh Bell's Market Intensifies

- Mets Among Teams Monitoring J.D. Martinez's Availability

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