Mets Bullpen

The Mets are trying to tread water with a $91 million payroll this season. Despite the "low" payroll by New York standards, it should still be one of the higher ones in the league. And that means that the Mets should perform below expectations once again. The bullpen was a big problem last year, especially after RHP Francisco Rodriguez was traded. The Mets have added personnel to the bullpen, but it remains to be seen if these moves provide an upgrade or a downgrade.

1. RHP Jon Rauch: Rauch was signed as a free agent from Toronto. He got about half of the save opportunities last season with Toronto, and his performance wasn't pretty. He posted a 4.85 ERA in 52 innings pitched. It remains to be seen if Rauch will get any save opportunities this season, or if he will be used strictly in setup. Either way, they need Rauch to pitch better than he did last year. A move to the National League and a transition from hitter-friendly Rogers Centre and pitcher paradise Citi Field could facilitate his improvement.

2. RHP Ramon Ramirez: Ramirez came over in the trade from San Francisco for CF Angel Pagan along with CF Andres Torres. Regardless of the situation in front of him in the bullpen, he should handle the seventh inning. And it should be good. Last season in San Francisco he posted a 2.62 ERA in 68.2 innings pitched. That's a little above typical expectations from Ramirez, but the Mets should expect another strong season from him.

3. RHP Bobby Parnell: Parnell turned in a decent season last year. He posted a 3.64 ERA in 59.1 innings pitched, but his performance was markedly better before he took over closer duties from RHP Jason Isringhausen in August. Parnell should start this season in middle relief, probably as a crossover specialist, and that transition should result in even greater success for Parnell.

4. RHP Pedro Beato: Beato was a Rule V Draft pick last season for the Mets. They wanted to keep him in the organization and therefore kept him on the Major League roster for the entire season. If not for his Rule V status, he probably would have been sent down mid-season and presumably recalled in September. He posted a 4.30 ERA in 67 innings pitched. Beato's still young and the Mets like his potential, but they need him to improve next season. He's a front-runner for a middle relief spot right now, but a poor performance will result in a demotion this season.

5. LHP Tim Byrdak: Byrdak was re-signed after a solid performance from last season. He posted a 3.82 ERA in 37.2 innings pitched last season as the lefty specialist in middle relief. He'll fill that role again this year, and the Mets are hoping or another strong season.

6. RHP Manny Acosta: Acosta had another decent season for the Mets last year, mirroring his career success at the Major League level. He's a front-runner to win a big league job this season, but what role he might fill remains unclear. Right now they have him penciled in as a long reliever. That seems unlikely, considering he's never started a game at the Major League level. He should be an asset in the 'pen somewhere though. He posted a 3.45 ERA in 47 innings pitched last season.

7. RHP D. J. Carrasco: Carrasco is one the highest-paid players on the Mets roster, but his role remains unclear. He had a terrible season last year, including a demotion to Buffalo, and the Mets don't like him for a bullpen spot this year. Having said that, Carrasco makes perfect sense as the right-handed specialist in middle relief. But the Mets want either Parnell or Beato in that role and Carrasco's performance from last year may pull him out of contention for that role. He posted a 6.02 ERA in 49.1 innings pitched last year.

8. RHP Josh Stinson: Stinson is a guy who has come up through the Mets system but has never been a top prospect. But the Mets still like his potential enough to invest in him. He'd been a starter up until the middle of last year, but he was getting shelled in the rotation at Buffalo and was demoted to Binghamton to be converted into a reliever. He fared much better there and was given a promotion in September. But his performance in the bigs wasn't good. He posted a 6.92 ERA in 13 innings pitched last season. Stinson still needs some bullpen fine-tuning at Buffalo, but he should be one of the first people on call when needs arise in the bullpen this year.

9. LHP Daniel Ray Herrera: Herrera was one of the players acquired from Milwaukee in exchange for K-Rod. He pitched well in his time with the Mets, although his overall performance was more mixed. He was designated for assignment and waived in the off-season, but he cleared waivers and accepted a demotion to Buffalo. He was given an invite to Spring Training and is still highly-regarded in the Mets organization, but he'll likely start the season at Buffalo and be the first person recalled if the Mets need a lefty out of the bullpen.

10. RHP Chris Schwinden: Schwinden is expected to win a role in the starting rotation if LHP Johan Santana starts the season on the disabled list. And he's probably also the favorite to win the long relief role if Santana is healthy and if GM Sandy Alderson opts to carry a traditional long reliever. And if Santana is healthy and Alderson doesn't want a long man in his pen, the Mets may still look to Schwinden as a more traditional short reliever in the bullpen later on in the season. But he's still a starter for now. He posted a 4.71 ERA in four starts last season.  The young Schwinden, who has never been a top prospect with the Mets but is someone who they've always liked in their system, is probably ready to make the step up to the big leagues.

11. RHP Frank Francisco: Despite the Mets' refusal to commit to Francisco winning a spot the odds of him pitching an important role for the team are almost guaranteed. He has a guaranteed contract (one of the largest on the team) and probably has the best track record of everyone in the relief equation. In all likelihood Francisco, who closed for Texas in 2009 and part-time for Toronto last season, will be the Mets closer this year. He posted a 3.55 ERA in 50.2 innings pitched last season.

12. RHP Miguel Batista: Batista was in the rotation for Buffalo last season and he made five starts in the Majors last year (including four for the Mets) but he probably fits in more at the Major League level as a reliever. He's probably more reliable as a reliever career-wise anyway, and his 41-year-old arm probably shouldn't be counted on to provide many starts throughout the season at the Major League level. He posted a 3.60 ERA in 60 innings pitched at the Major League level last season.

13. LHP Chuck James: James is a Minor League veteran whom the Mets have signed to provide depth at AAA. He should be behind Herrera on the depth chart and seeing him in the Majors is probably a sign that the Mets are either playing terribly or have suffered numerous injuries to their pitching staff, although he should get a recall in September. Last season James posted a 6.10 ERA in 10.1 innings pitched for Minnesota.

14. RHP Fernando Cabrera: Cabrera is a former top prospect with Cleveland and a Minor League veteran whom the Mets have signed to take a look at in the Spring. Cabrera is a former Minor League closer and could provide important innings somewhere in Minor League Baseball this season, although don't be surprised to see the Mets part ways with him at the end of Spring Training. He posted a 2.71 ERA in 63 innings pitched for Sacramento last season.

This bullpen doesn't look particularly good. It looks like they've found a closer in Francisco and a setup man in Ramirez and they have some nice arms returning in Parnell, Byrdak, Acosta, and even Schwinden if he sticks as a long reliever. But they still have some holes in that bullpen and not all of the above mentioned will make the team or be in the bullpen even if they do, with players like Rauch commanding a lot of salary and probably getting important innings. Plus there's the matter of sub-par pitchers like Beato and Carrasco making the team in favor of more deserving players like Acosta and Schwinden.