With A.J. Minter and Danny Young out for the season, the New York Mets’ lone left-handed reliever is Genesis Cabrera. Needless to say, this is not ideal, especially in a division with as many elite left-handed hitters as the National League East. Despite there being well over two months until the trade deadline, there are still a number of lefty bullpen options for the Mets to choose from.
Internal Lefty Options for the Mets Bullpen
Anthony Gose has more experience out of the bullpen than any other healthy internal option, outside of Cabrera, who is already with the big league club. In his 156 2/3 minor league innings, he holds a 3.85 ERA. He has just 32 big league innings, 21 of which came in the 2022 season, and has a 4.78 ERA. While these numbers are far from ideal, he is still a reasonable option until the trade deadline.
Brandon Waddell, who recently made his Mets debut on April 30th, is also an option. Despite being a starter thus far for the Syracuse Mets, Waddell has bullpen experience as recently as 2022 with the Memphis Redbirds in Triple-A, where in 30 innings, he posted a 3.30 ERA.
Beyond that, Waddell showed in his lone Mets appearance that he is capable of coming out of the bullpen, albeit being an opener game where he knew he was going to pitch. In addition, in his five starts for Syracuse this season, he has a 1.54 ERA. Given his years of starting with some bullpen experience mixed in, Waddell has the potential to contribute in a long-man role as well.
1/3 Incredible @mets debut by former @UVABaseball National Champion Brandon Waddell.
4.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 Ks
Per Gary Cohen & @SNY broadcast, first Met ever to throw 4+ scoreless relief innings in Mets debutpic.twitter.com/2e5bnuUKQ4
— Scott Fitzgerald (@scottfitz11) May 1, 2025
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Brooks Raley, who was recently re-signed, is still recovering from Tommy John surgery, but could be an important addition for the Mets down the line. His doctors believe that he can begin throwing rehab games in June. While a lot can change between now and then, Raley has shown to be a reliable arm over the years, including in 2023 with the Mets, where he posted a 2.80 ERA. While there’s no guarantee that the 36-year-old can return to his old form, he’s worth the shot that the Mets have given him.
External Options
David Robertson may not be a lefty, but he has the same effect as one, as he gets lefty batters out consistently. In 2024, lefties hit .145 against him. Despite being 40 years old and having 16 major league seasons under his belt, Robertson appeared in 68 games for the Texas Rangers last season. He also had success in Queens back in 2023, posting a 2.05 ERA in 40 games before being traded to the Miami Marlins. This would be a low-risk, high-reward signing for New York, and is probably the best option that the Mets have externally as of now.
Drew Smyly is also still on the market, and much like Waddell, offers starting experience. In 58 2/3 innings last season, Smyly posted a 3.84 ERA. While Waddell may have a bit more upside at this portion in his career given his age and success in Triple-A, Smyly is a veteran and leaves no doubt that he is capable of producing at the big league level, unlike the inexperienced Waddell.
While other external lefty bullpen options exist, such as Will Smith, their lack of any recent success makes it difficult to make a case for the Mets to give them a flier.
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