New York Mets Rumors: Tyler Clippard or Matt Albers Being Added To The Bullpen?
New York Mets Rumors: Could the Mets be bolstering their bullpen in the coming days with either right-handed veteran Tyler Clippard or Matt Albers?
The New York Mets made some headlines at the Winter Meetings last week when they pulled off a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates, sending Jon Niese to the Steel City for Neil Walker. Walker will replace Daniel Murphy at second base and is an upgrade all around for the team. They also added Asdrubal Cabrera to further bolster their middle infield, which was looking like one of the weakest ones in the majors before the meetings.
After adding to the middle infield, the Mets began addressing their pitching staff. They brought back Bartolo Colon and Jerry Blevins earlier in the week to fill in the rotation until Zack Wheeler returns and the bullpen. But, the Mets have some other clear needs, including the bullpen. Could they be adding to the bullpen sooner than later?
According to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN, there is a chance the Mets could be bringing back another player from last season’s team in Tyler Clippard.
But #Mets haven't ruled out bringing back Clippard, and #Twins, #BlueJays and #Dodgers are among numerous teams seeking relief help.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) December 15, 2015
There is a lot of competition for Clippard, and rightfully so. He has been a solid late inning option for many seasons now, but there is some risk to signing him. He struggled in September and in the postseason with the Mets while battling an injury and trying to recover. Crasnick also points out that Clippard is the most used reliever in baseball since 2010.
Tyler Clippard leads MLB relievers with 440 appearances and 464.1 IP since 2010. Still unsigned. Is workload affecting his market?
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) December 15, 2015
There is a chance that is affecting his market and why it is developing so slowly. With the emphasis on bullpens rising, a player with some red flags such as Clippard will go off the board after higher-upside options. The workload may be a deterrent, but it should also be a positive as it shows he is durable and available more often than not. He can slot into the eighth or ninth inning, something that normally costs a pretty penny on the free agent market.
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If the Mets lose out to one of the other teams interested in Clippard, there are other options that they could turn to. According to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, the Mets could be a match for veteran right-handed pitcher Matt Albers.
Rubin also said that the Mets have shown serious interest in Albers in the past, and he expects the same this time around. The 32-year old veteran was outstanding with the Chicago White Sox last season, and would immediately upgrade the Mets bullpen as another option late in the game.
He missed about three months last season after breaking his pinkie in a brawl with the Kansas City Royals, but when he was on the mound he got the job done. Albers appeared in 30 games, pitching 37 1/3 innings with an ERA of 1.21 and WHIP of 1.07 and 2-0 record.
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He also finished the season strong, not allowing a run after July 31st. That included 20 appearances and 22 1/3 innings, which is the longest current streak in the major leagues. The Mets would do well adding a reliever of that caliber to their team as the bullpen was an area of concern for the Mets late in the season.