New York Mets
Face of the Franchise
How the Mets’ bullpen looks with Devin Williams in it
Source: https://www.amazinavenue.com/new-yo...n-devin-williams-roster-minter-raley-new-york
Last night, the Mets agreed to a three-year contract with 31-year-old right-handed reliever Devin Williams, and if you’re on board with believing in his underlying metrics this year and track record over the course of his career, he’ll be the best reliever on the team’s roster as soon as his signing becomes official.
The Mets’ second- and third-best relievers at the moment are both left-handed. Brooks Raley returned from Tommy John surgery and rehab to put up a 2.45 ERA and a 2.12 FIP in 25.2 innings with the Mets this season, and A.J. Minter looked fantastic in his first 11.0 innings with the team before suffering a season-ending lat injury. In a couple bits of news that were entirely unsurprising, the Mets picked up their option on Raley for next season, and Minter picked up his player option.
After those three pitchers, though, things are pretty much wide open. Here are the five names that would fill out the bullpen at the moment over at Roster Resource.
- Adbert Alzolay (RHP)
- Huascar Brazobán (RHP)
- Austin Warren (RHP)
- Richard Lovelady (LHP)
- Brandon Waddell (LHP)
Having missed the 2025 season as he rehabbed following Tommy John surgery in August of 2024, Alzolay could be an asset to the Mets’ bullpen if he’s fully healthy when the 2026 season begins. In 77.1 innings across the 2022 and 2023 seasons, he had a 2.79 ERA with a 2.83 FIP as a full-time reliever with the Cubs. He struggled mightily with a sky-high home run rate in 17.1 innings in 2024 leading up to his surgery, but he’s out of options and figures to make the Mets’ Opening Day bullpen if he looks anything like his old self by the end of spring training.
Warren, Lovelady, and Waddell are all out of options heading into next season, but Brazobán has one year of options remaining. It wouldn’t be surprising to see a couple of those four pitchers be on the Opening Day roster, but it would be a shock to see all four of them on there.
Two familiar relief arms will spend all or the vast majority of the 2026 season on the injured list, as Reed Garrett and Dedniel Núñez both underwent Tommy John surgery within the past few months. And there are some intriguing options on the horizon in the Mets’ minor league system, as there are several starters and relievers who could end up looking good in a major league relief role at some point next year.
Overall, though, there’s plenty of room for improvement in the bottom four spots of the pen. And while maintaining roster flexibility in the final spot or two can be beneficial, it’d be great to see the Mets find a couple of surer things—as much as any relievers can be, at least—after churning their bullpen at an absurd rate this year only to get mediocre results.
Source: https://www.amazinavenue.com/new-yo...n-devin-williams-roster-minter-raley-new-york