- Commissioner’s statement on Ventura, Marte
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- Smith challenges Warner to go big in India
- Moncada No. 1 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Braves land 2 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
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- New Zealand wrap up 2-0 after Bangladesh implosion
- Mathews, Pradeep, Gunathilaka to return to Sri Lanka
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Inbox: Reed in line to close some games?
- Updated: December 19, 2016
All remains quiet with the Mets, who continue to weigh potential trades of outfielder Jay Bruce as the holidays approach. While it’s unlikely they complete anything before Christmas at this point, all it takes is one phone call to change that.
In the interim, the Mets are working to address a second roster issue: their bullpen. The team should find out in the coming weeks whether Major League Baseball will suspend closer Jeurys Familia, who last week had a simple assault charge against him dropped in a New Jersey court.
This week’s Inbox begins there:
Will Addison Reed close if Familia is suspended? Will an outsider be brought in to compete for that role?– @sydncook via Twitter
Mets officials have already said that if Familia is suspended (and that’s no guarantee), Reed will indeed close. The Mets chose not to dabble in the high-end relief market this offseason, passing on Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen and Mark Melancon. As a result, they’re left with Reed, which isn’t a bad thing at all.
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In terms of FanGraphs reliever WAR, Reed ranked sixth in baseball last season, topping all non-closers on that list. He does have prior ninth-inning experience, finishing games from 2012-13 with the White Sox and in ’14 with the D-backs. And he’s about to be paid like a closer in his third and final year of arbitration eligibility.
The question is, how will Reed’s body hold up after appearing in 80 games last season, an 18 percent jump over his previous career high? While Reed’s peripheral stats suggest he was not particularly lucky or unlucky in 2016, can the Mets really expect him to be that good again?
Reed often gets lost in the shuffle, particularly given Familia’s record-breaking 2016 season. But without him, the Mets would not have sniffed the National League Wild Card Game, and he enters 2017 as one of the club’s more important players.
Will the Mets pay the going price for a middle reliever, such as bringing Jerry …
