If General Manager Sandy Alderson’s recent moves to acquire veterans Juan Uribe, Kelly Johnson and Tyler Clippard don’t say enough on their own, I will spell it out for you: The Mets are finally going for it.
Adding Clippard bolsters a unit that has overachieved while being forced to rely on inexperienced players to protect leads until Familia enters.
While Meisner’s past few starts have shown some concern, it is important to keep in mind that the young righty has thrown a significant amount of innings more than he has in his first two professional seasons COMBINED.
Clippard, 30, has pitched 38.2 innings thus far and has a decent 2.79 ERA along with a 1.19 WHIP.
The latest Mets’ acquisition, relief pitcher Tyler Clippard, played for the Washington Nationals for seven seasons before being traded to the Oakland Athletics this past offseason. That said, these numbers certainly aren’t a reason not to add a reliever of his caliber, as he has had a strong career up to this point.
While Jerry Blevins was very good before his forearm fracture and should return sooner rather than later, he’s a lefty specialist and nobody knows what to possibly expect after being sidelined for an extended period. He has also held left-handed batters to a minuscule. Clippard could be used as a set up man for Jeurys Familia and he also is capable of closing if needed. However, Parnell’s velocity is down from before Tommy John surgery, and Mejia is ineligible for the postseason as part of his suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. He allowed three runs in the eighth inning of the team’s 4-3 loss to Washington on Wednesday.
The Mets already have a solid bullpen with a collective 2.86 ERA, sixth-best in Major League Baseball. His best season came in 2012 when he saved 32 games. Detroit’s Yoenis Cespedes, San Diego’s Justin Upton and Milwaukee’s Carlos Gomez are among the potentially available sluggers who would fit the bill. Players such as outfielder Brandon Nimmo, shortstop Gavin Cecchini and pitcher Robert Fulmer could headline deals.
Meisner, who is just 20 years old, was drafted in the third round of the 2013 draft.
When the A’s traded Kazmir last Thursday, they were still on the fringe of contention, but four losses later and now with the trade of their closer, Oakland will probably continue to slide into the depths of the American League standings-deprived of unity, motivation and goal.