New York Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen believes the addition of Dellin Betances could really bolster this bullpen.
On Christmas Eve, right-handed relief pitcher Dellin Betances transferred boroughs. The former New York Yankee signed a one-year deal with the New York Mets that’s worth $10.5 million. He’ll now look to assist a bullpen that struggled mightily in 2019.
According to general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, Betances won’t be the only upside to this relief-pitching staff. On Thursday, during Betances’ introduction to the media, Van Wagenen discussed how he believes this bullpen could potentially come together and prove to be heavily dominant.
Brodie Van Wagenen says that with Dellin Betances aboard, the Mets have the potential to be one of the best bullpens in baseball ? pic.twitter.com/wBJbc3HMSh
— SNY (@SNYtv) January 2, 2020
“This signing was intended to blow the cover off of our ceiling,” BVW said. “We believe that a healthy and dominant Dellin, combined with Edwin Díaz, Seth Lugo, Justin Wilson, Jeurys Familia, Brad Brach, and Robert Gsellmen, this collective group has the potential to be one of the best bullpens in baseball.”
Betances has an enormous opportunity to redeem himself from his injury-plagued 2019 campaign. The four-time All-Star dealt with shoulder issues that kept him off the field for much of the year. He made his season debut in September only to tear his Achilles tendon in the appearance. Betances missed the remainder of the season after that.
Last year, the Mets relievers finished with a combined 4.95 ERA. That statistic was good for 25th in the major leagues.
Díaz was arguably the lowest point of that bullpen. The highly-talented closer, who the Mets acquired from the Seattle Mariners prior to the 2019 season, posted a 5.59 ERA in 66 appearances. He only had 26 saves, which was 31 fewer than his MLB-leading 57 in 2018. Díaz additionally posted a record of 2-7 and a WHIP of 1.379.
