With a 45-24 record, the New York Mets surpassed the Detroit Tigers for best record in Major League Baseball.
The Mets have the best team ERA at 2.82 and have done it without having a quality left-hander out of the bullpen.
The only lefty reliever on the Mets is José Castillo, who was acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 16. He has been good for New York, but his career numbers suggest he won’t keep it up.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Grant Young, MLB insiders Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman suggested the Mets go after a dominant left-hander from the Boston Red Sox on their podcast.
“I’m going to throw out a name… Just watching Aroldis Chapman throw 100 miles per hour again last night,” said Sherman. “I keep looking at him thinking, ‘If the Red Sox are not going to have a good season, could he really help the Mets?”
“Well, he is a lefty reliever, and he did throw 103 miles per hour. He’s having a great year again,” Heyman replied. “But yeah.”
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Chapman, 37, has dominated this season. In 31 appearances for the Red Sox, he has 12 saves with a 1.59 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP.
Chapman helped the Chicago Cubs win the World Series in 2016 and the Texas Rangers win in 2023. He is a seven-time All-Star and has 347 career saves.
If the Red Sox become sellers, Chapman should be on the move and New York should be interested. Without a quality lefty reliever, the Mets probably won’t achieve much in the postseason.
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