The New York Mets appear to have a deal in place to trade closer Jeurys Familia to a contending team as the fire sale begins.
According to Buster Olney of ESPN, the New York Mets are finalizing a deal to send Jeurys Familia to a contender. As of now, Olney reports that the Oakland Athletics are interested and the Chicago Cubs are uninvolved.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic is reporting that the Oakland Athletics (no relation) are the favorites in the clubhouse to acquire Familia.
Source confirms: #Athletics working to get Familia from #Mets. No deal in place. Other teams might still be in mix. Interest from A’s first reported by @susanslusser earlier today.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 21, 2018
During Familia’s seven seasons in New York, he posted an ERA of 2.66 and tallied 123 saves. He led the National League in saves during the 2016 season.
Familia is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and he can be a huge asset in the bullpen for a contending team down the stretch. A team looking for a bonafide closer can feel confident with Familia coming in to shut it down in the ninth.
Additionally, Familia’s postseason experience should be enticing for teams. He has a 2.30 ERA in 14 career postseason appearances. Of course, Mets fans still have nightmares about his three blown saves in the 2015 World Series, but two of those blown saves were the result of wacky situations.
The infamous blown save in Game 5 could have been avoided if Terry Collins went to Familia earlier, rather than letting Matt Harvey go out to begin the ninth.
It’s unclear exactly how much the Mets will get in exchange for Familia. But at this point, anything to help replenish the farm system is a positive. The Mets woeful neglect of the farm system put the team in a difficult position.
Dealing Familia is a step towards rebuilding the foundation of the franchise.
