Crossfire: You Have One Choice—Sign a DH or Another Reliever?

The Mets reportedly don’t have a ton of money left to spend this offseason, and that news came before they gave Adam Ottavino $4 million to return to the bullpen.

Despite that signing, the Mets still need help bridging innings to Edwin Díaz. But they also need to address the power in their lineup from the DH spot. The Mets have gotten negative value (-0.5 fWAR) over the last two seasons from a position that’s easy to find value, including a paltry .334 slugging percentage in 2022 and a league-average wRC+ in 2023.

There are plenty of decent relievers (Phil Maton, Ryne Stanek) and DHs (J.D. Martinez, Justin Turner) left on the market. Assuming the Mets could only spend significant money on one position, which would you choose?

Reliever—Allison Waxman

On paper, discussing it with friends, whatever it may be, the bullpen feels incomplete. Yes, Díaz and Ottavino are back, but outside of them and Brooks Raley, one’s confidence in the team starts to dwindle. Drew Smith has been reliable, but was somewhat disappointing last season, giving up a career-high 29 walks. Ottavino looked less stellar than he did in 2022, and while I’m sure Díaz is fully healthy, it’s unknown what his limitations will be.

The 2023 bullpen ranked 22nd in bullpen ERA with a 4.43, 26th in xFIP with a 4.70, 29th in fWAR at 0.5, and 23rd in all of baseball in BB/9 at 4.01. There’s a reason why they say pitching wins ballgames.

The Mets brought in a slew of relievers who’ve experienced the highs and lows of big-league life. To make this team competitive, they must bring in one more piece, ideally a set-up man. Ottavino feels more like a seventh-inning guy at this point in his career, and someone like Wandy Peralta, Phil Maton or Ryne Stanek would fit in seamlessly. While this team has its fair share of offensive struggles, the bullpen should be the priority with a few weeks left.

DH—Patrick Glynn

As cited above, the Mets’ DHs have been some of the worst in MLB since the position was added to National League lineups.

Yes, the Mets have Mark Vientos at a cheap price, and names like DJ Stewart, Starling Marte, and Pete Alonso could find at-bats at DH, but that’s the problem. The Mets have treated it as a rotating position rather than a place in the lineup one hitter can get into a groove.

So what happens if Vientos isn’t the guy? The Mets have been clear he’s going to get a chance to get consistent at-bats. But the team is looking down the barrel of low output from a singularly offensive position if he doesn’t pan out. I’d sign someone like Justin Turner or Jorge Soler, both of whom are at least passable in the field. You could still find Vientos plenty of prove-it at-bats with one of those guys in the lineup.

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