New York Mets
When I did these rankings, I thought the top two bullpens in this division separated themselves dramatically from the other three teams. Just like the rest of the team, the Mets bring back the same bullpen that they had the end of last season.
Right now, the big question for the Mets is at the closer spot heading into the season. Will Jeurys Familia end up being suspended for the domestic violence incident he had in the offseason? If so, that means someone else will have to be the closer.
Regardless of whether he’s suspended or not, Familia has been one of the best closers in the last two seasons. Despite some bad outings in the postseason, the 27-year-old right-hander is 94-for-104 in save chances since 2015.
The reliever that may have made the most improvements last year is Addison Reed. As the team’s setup man, he had a 1.89 ERA in the eighth inning, only gave up seven runs in the second half of the season, and had 91 strikeouts on the season (most in the bullpen).
To help fill some of the middle relief spots, New York signed Fernando Salas and Jerry Blevins to one-year-deals. Blevins (has an option for a second season) is a good lefty reliever, but he had better splits last season against right-handed pitching (.182 in 55 at-bats).
If you look at the long relief spot, they have three options in either Zack Wheeler, Robert Gsellman, or Seth Lugo (whichever doesn’t win the fifth roster spot). Most people talk about the strength of the Mets rotation, but their bullpen is definitely one of the best in this division.