Robert Gsellman

The Importance of the New York Mets Bullpen in a Short Season

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As Major League Baseball continues to juggle the idea of playing baseball again this season, teams are scrambling to get their pitchers ready. The New York Mets will rely heavily on their bullpen through the first month of their season as pitchers get their endurance up to speed.

If there are only two weeks of Spring Training games before the season starts, it is not enough to get a rotation ready. Each starter will get three starts max, which forces the bullpen to throw more innings early in the season. With the way pitchers work today, we will not see them at their peaks for at least 2-3 regular season starts.

Bullpen Importance

The needed relievers make sense as to why a potential 30-man roster is in the works. Anywhere from 1-4 extra relievers are required in order to be competitive during the first part of the season. Late inning relievers like Edwin Diaz, Dellin Betances, and Seth Lugo will have their critical roles. Middle relief is where the key outs will be. If starters only go 4-5 innings during the first couple weeks of the season, someone has to bridge the gap.

Brad Brach, Justin Wilson, Jeurys Familia, and potentially Drew Smith are a few middle relievers who will have to finish the work for the starter. Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo are the only relievers who can pitch multiple innings due to their starting pitching backgrounds. Most likely, Lugo’s outings come late in games while Gsellman will take most of the multiple innings appearances from innings four through seven.

During 2019, in outings of more than one innings, Gsellman had a 2.18 ERA. It included multiple three-inning outings where he kept teams scoreless and the Mets in the game. When healthy, he can play as big of a role as Lugo, just earlier in the game.

Luckily the Mets employ Jacob deGrom and Marcus Stroman, two of the most in-shape pitchers throughout baseball. The Mets can be more flexible with how deep each of them pitch, compared to the average pitcher. While deGrom moves in silence without social media, Stroman displays all the works he is putting in for the eventual season. Depth is a key part for any championship team and the Mets can finally say they have it on both sides of the ball.

New York Mets: The Variables of the Pending Season

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After MLB owners approved the plan to continue the baseball season, the war between the league and the players union is ready for its first battle. Out of all teams, the New York Mets find themselves in a unique situation compared to the rest of the league.

Outside of health concerns, the battle of salary negotiation is going to be the biggest fight in the process. Union chief Tony Clark and legendary agent Scott Boras both agree that being paid a pro-rata salary would be the agreement whenever games resume. The sacrifice stands at 30-40% of wages, which the owners claimed as feasible, according to the owners.

According to Boras, his clients are not willing to budge from the agreement. If salaries receive a blindsided cut, it will extend the baseball drought longer. Should the union have a legitimate legal case, the damage could wipe out the rest of the season. But Clark is just as poor as MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. This situation serves as a prologue to how next year’s discussions on a new collective bargain agreement will play out.

The Mets Effect

The only Boras represented Met is Michael Conforto, and luckily 30-40% of his $8 million salary is $2.4 million through $3.2 million. That number is no worry for the organization, especially with the rest of their high priced talent.

The conflict comes from Wilpon ownership and General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen. First, the Wilpon’s have continuously lost money from the Mets franchise over the last few years. The revenue from SNY, which the Wilpons also own, covers the losses from the organization.

Due to the revenue from SNY, the Wilpons call it untouchable in any team sale discussions. Since revenue should grow from SNY, since fans will not attend games, they might squeak by and suffer minimal damage to their finances due to the lack of fan revenue. But you can never be sure with the Wilpons.

Agent to GM

Van Wagenen plays a role more connected to the players. Not too long ago, he was the co-head for CAA Sports Baseball Division, which happens to represent the most players (6) on the current 40-man roster. Should the Mets look to cut more money from the players, Van Wagenen would have to side with ownership since they write his paychecks.

Four of those players make less than three million, including Brandon Nimmo and Robert Gsellman. Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom are the two high priced/talented members of CAA. Van Wagenen also negotiated the current contracts Yoenis Cespedes, and Robinson Cano collect. Cespedes already lost money in the offseason due to an injury on his ranch.

Van Wagenen does not make any final decisions, but he knows both sides of the fence. His voice will be heavily relied upon to fix and issues between players and ownership without it creating a media storm. Not to mention, he has to figure out the best pieces for a potential 82-game season at the same time.

Van Wagenen is a master agent and earned the GM job because he knows how to handle strenuous situations. He will be able to take any negative that comes out of the meetings and make it a positive. Few GMs in baseball have that ability.

The Wonder of the 2016 New York Mets

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The 2016 New York Mets had a unique season in the franchise’s history. After falling short in the previous year’s World Series, the Mets retooled their middle infield and bullpen with an expectation to return in 2016. Though falling short to Madison Bumgarner and the Giants, there is always wonder of what would have happened if the Mets made the NLDS.

Injuries were the theme of the 2016 Mets. Zack Wheeler was out for the entire season while recovering from Tommy John Surgery. Jacob deGrom, Josh Edgin, Hansel Robles started their seasons on the Injured List. Throughout the year, David Wright, Lucas Duda, Yoenis Cespedes, and the list goes on of other Mets who spent extended periods on the IL. To make matters worse, Michael Conforto and Matt Harvey performed nowhere near expectations. The most used lineup only made it to the field nine times all season.

Late But Key Pickups

Next ma up was the motto for these Mets. Jose Reyes, James Loney, and Seth Lugo were just a few essential parts that helped guide the Mets in the second half. On August 24, the Mets dropped to 63-63 on the season and one the outside looking in of the wild card race. It was on a night where Jacob deGrom was dreadful, and it was his second to last start before injuries ruined his season.

September was a crazy ride for the Mets. Their starting pitching at the beginning of the season was Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz, and Bartolo Colon. By September, it was Syndergaard, Colon, Seth Lugo, Robert Gsellman, and the combination of Rafael Montero and Gabriel Ynoa.

This was way before Lugo and Gsellman were anywhere near household names. Lugo had a 6.50 ERA when he came up, and Gsellman started the year in double-A. Both pitched to a 2.67 and 2.42 ERA respectively and solidified the Mets rotation out of nowhere. Montero and Ynoa were no help to the rotation, but the Mets managed to go 18-10 over September/October to sneak into the postseason.

The efforts of Jeurys Familia, Addison Reed, Jerry Blevins, Hansel Robles, and Fernando Salas also go overlooked in giving the Mets a quality bullpen, especially when the short least the rookies in the rotation received. The health of Curtis Granderson and Asdrubal Cabrera allowed the Mets to keep starters on the field despite losing others to injuries.

What the Playoffs Could Have Looked Like

If the Mets happened to get past Bumgarner things would have gotten very interesting from there. They would have faced a Cubs team which the Mets went 5-2 against and swept in the 2015 postseason. After Syndergaard threw a gem in the wild card game, it left the Mets with a rotation no one saw coming. 43-year old Bartolo Colon would have become the oldest pitcher ever to start game one of the postseason. Lugo or Gsellman would start game 2/4 with Syndergaard starting game 3. They would have faced the combination of Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester, John Lackey, and Kyle Hendricks.

The lineup would also be interesting with Granderson, Cespedes, and Cabrera as the regulars. The supporting cast would be the likes of T.J. Rivera, (slumping) Jay Bruce, James Loney, and Jose Reyes, who all were nowhere near the Opening Day roster. Rivera was the only one in Spring Training with the Mets. Rene Rivera and Travis d’Arnaud would be managing the catching duties.

Could They Beat the Cubs?

They lack of quality pitching behind Bumgarner is what did the Giants in. During a one-game playoff, you can ride his greatness to a win, but it was impossible to do to a team as strong as the cubs. That said, there is no reason to think the Mets could not have broken the Cubs hearts again and extended the curse for another year. Outside of Aroldis Chapman, the Cubs bullpen did not offer anything better than what the Mets had.

The Dodgers were very similar to what they beat in 2015, and their rotation was worse without Greinke. The biggest question would have been how the Mets could get by with the unproven Lugo and Gsellman. The games Colon and Syndergaard pitched would become must-win games just based on the uncertainty of the other half of the rotation.

Beat the Tribe?

Topping the Indians would have been a much tougher feat due to the entire roster matching up better than the Mets. Though like the 2019 World Series, the Astros seemed like the sure bet, but anything happens when you get to the World Series. Things have not been quite the same for the Mets since 2016. The Mets could have seriously changed the landscape of baseball should they have managed even one run off Bumgarner.

New York Mets: Porcello Improves in His Second Spring Start

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New York Mets, Rick Porcello

Despite the New York Mets dropping to the Miami Marlins 3-1, Rick Porcello looked a lot better during Thursday’s start. The other Mets big league relievers pitched well again while the depth pitchers struggled. The loss moved the Mets to 1-5 and the Marlins to 6-0.

Wins and losses are meaningless during the Spring. The situations for each team also differ for the Mets and Marlins as well. The Mets roster is mostly set for the regular season, while the Marlins have plenty of players trying to latch on to a roster spot. As long as the regulars are playing well, the Mets should not be worried.

Pitching Ups and Downs

Porcello threw up twos across the board. Two innings, two hits, two strikeouts. He worked in and out of trouble in the first inning then pitched a 1-2-3 in his second inning of work. Brad Brach and Robert Gsellman followed to pitch the third and fourth with success. Each threw perfect innings, and both have not allowed run in the Spring. Both Brach and Gsellman are key middle relief pitchers and could earn bigger spots if Edwin Diaz and Dellin Betances are holes in the bullpen.

The minor league depth crew of Corey Oswalt, Stephen Nogosek, and Nick Rumbelow all allowed runs during their outings. While no one from the trio was particularly bad, the minor leaguers who finish off the games have already cost the Mets some games early in the Spring.

Awaken the Polar Bear

Pete Alonso is still shaking the offseason rust but showed signs of life with his double in the first inning. He was hitless in nine at-bats heading into Thursday’s game. The baserunning still needed WD-40 as he was picked off second to conclude the inning.

Michael Conforto is another Met who is trying to find his hitting groove. He went 1-for-2 with a single to improve to 2-for-10 in the Spring.

On Friday, the Mets face Adam Wainwright and the St. Louis Cardinals for the second time of the Spring. The Mets trot Marcus Stroman out for his second start and first in Port St. Lucie. Stroman allowed one run in 1.2 innings against the Cardinals to open up the Spring.

New York Mets Bullpen Solid in Tie Against Cardinals

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On day two of Spring Training, the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals finished in a 3-3 tie. Jake Marisnick‘s solo home run, Ryan Cordell‘s double and a J.D. Davis sacrifice fly accounted for the three Mets runs.

Like most early Spring Training games, the big league ready arms threw the first half of the game. Steven Matz threw the first inning for the Mets and allowed a leadoff home run to Harrison Bader. Matz settled in to retire the following three batters and struck out one. His much-improved charge-up looked good during his one inning of work.

Bullpen Dominance

The slimmed-down Jeurys Familia took over after Matz in the second inning. He worked around a couple of baserunners to pitch a scoreless second. Familia is back to throwing his sinker, slider, and splitter full time and featured each of them during his inning. He threw a couple of sinkers in the high 90s but mostly worked in the 93-95 range.

Brad Brach took over for the third and allowed a couple of baserunners but also struck out two. He was throwing in the high 80s, but his change-up looked in midseason form. The double Brach allowed mostly had to do with Tim Tebow playing left field. It was a tough play, but most Mets outfielders make the play.

Robert Gsellman put together a quick but eventful inning. It started with an Andres Gimenez error, followed by possible double play turned into a fielders choice, and the final batter flew out into a double play on a failed hit & run. Tyler Bashlor‘s one inning of work featured a strikeout, and his curveball was his best pitch with his velocity sitting at 93-95.

Minor league relievers finished off the rest of the game with Franklyn Kilome as the only one to allow runs. He allowed a line drive two-run homer to Edmundo Sosa, which tied the game. Velocities from most pitchers on both sides seemed lower than usual. It either had to do with pitchers still getting themselves game-ready along with the radar gun reading not playing as key a role it does in the regular season.

It was a solid day for the key Mets relievers, which will be something to build on as the first full week of games starts. We still have not seen Edwin Diaz pitch, and his Spring debut will be the most anticipated of Spring Training.

Why Robert Gsellman should be better in 2020 for the New York Mets

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If the New York Mets want to be competitive and secure a spot in the playoffs, they need their bullpen to be deep. Sure, we know that Seth Lugo should be stellar and that Dellin Betances should have an amazing season if healthy. They need more than just that, though.

The Mets need Justin Wilson to do what he did in 2019. They need, and we can’t emphasize this enough, rebound seasons from Edwin Diaz and Jeurys Familia. And they also need Robert Gsellman to be on his game.

Since breaking into the Mets’ 2016 roster with a 2.42 ERA in 44.2 innings, Gsellman hasn’t been particularly good. He was a starter in 2017 and had a 5.19 ERA, but he was decent as a reliever a year later (4.28 ERA in 80 innings.)

Last season, Gsellman put up a 4.66 ERA. While that number wasn’t good, he managed to regain some of his swing and miss from 2016: he struck out a career-high 8.48 batters per nine innings, in line with the 8.46 he had in 2016. The righty had disappointing numbers in K/9 in 2017 (6.17) and 2018 (7.88.)

Bumping slider usage drove the Mets’ reliever success

Basically, the Mets’ hurler increased the usage of his good slider (3.0 pVAL per Fangraphs) to 26.7 percent of the time and had a bump in fastball velocity (a career-high 95.7 mph.) Those are very good signs for the future, both for him and for the Mets.

Gsellman was ninth in barrels per plate appearance percentage (Brls/PA%) which is the percentage of plate appearances where a batter had a batted ball classified as a Barrel. He had a tiny 2.5 mark. He is difficult to square for opposing hitters, and the numbers back that up.

Gsellman was also 14th in all MLB in wOBA-xwOBA differential, with .032. It is a product of his .326 wOBA minus his .294 xwOBA. That indicates that, judging by quality and frequency of contact, he got unlucky in 2019. He deserved better than his 4.66 ERA. His 4.13 FIP is a good start, and the Mets know it.

The reliever was better in the second half (3.57 ERA) than before the break (5.07 ERA.) Perhaps we can see his final numbers in 2020 being closer to his second half. It would be huge for the New York Mets.

Projecting the New York Mets Bullpen

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Despite their struggles from 2019, the New York Mets bullpen is set to rebound. They have added new arms to go along with the talented relievers who are looking to bounce back from disappointing seasons. The potential is very high, but there is also a chance the bullpen falls right on their face.

Edwin Diaz

Edwin Diaz was the price piece from the deal that sent Jared Kelenic to the Seattle Mariners and failed miserably. His home runs per nine skyrocketed, and he eventually lost his closer role. This should not be the norm for Diaz, who will have a bounce-back season. During spring training, he should regain the position as the Mets closer and live up to the hype he had in 2019.

Seth Lugo

Seth Lugo had an unbelievable 2019 season. He was reliable out of the bullpen, pitching to a 2.70 ERA with 104 strikeouts. Lugo’s ability to pitch multiple innings made him a valuable asset down the stretch of the season. He pleads to be a starter for the Mets, but they need his talents to remain in the bullpen.

 

Dellin Betances

Dellin Betances is a major wild card in the Mets bullpen due to his health problems in 2019. He struck out the only two batters he faced before dealing with an Achilles injury. When healthy, Betances is a top-five reliever in baseball, striking out 100+ batters in five straight seasons before 2019. He is the big arm the Mets needed in the bullpen.

Jeurys Familia

Speaking of wild cars, there is no bigger one in the Mets bullpen than Jeurys Familia. Command issues and injuries hampered his 2019 season as he lost his eighth-inning role. Familia contributed his weight to his issues, and he came into spring training in much better shape. Not too long ago, he was a dominant closer, so having him as potentially the fourth-best reliever is a great sign.

Justin Wilson

After battling injuries, Justin Wilson emerged as a dominant force out of the Mets bullpen. His ability to get hitters from both sides out made him a precious asset. Wilson went overlooked as a terrific signing by Brodie Van Wagenen.

Robert Gsellman

Robert Gsellman was not anything special out of the bullpen but was someone who was relied upon to eat innings. His hard sinker and curveball became weapons for him. Gsellman’s strikeout rate also increased, which showed his potential going into 2020. This will be a colossal leap year, which will allow him to emerge into a key role out of the Mets bullpen.

Brad Brach

Brad Brach quietly arrived with the Mets a put together a solid cameo with them. He had a rough time in Chicago but is another reliever who has a track record of being one of the best in baseball. Brach will mostly be used in low leverage roles but is another guy the Mets can trust in crucial spots.

Michael Wacha

Michael Wacha may have signed with the Mets to start, but it is hard to see that happening. Thanks to the roster expansion to 26-players, Wacha can become a long man/spot starter. After spending his last few years in St. Louis struggling, the Mets hope to rekindle the success he once had.

New York Mets: Robert Gsellman Year in Review

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Robert Gsellman came into the 2019 season as a projected vital member of the New York Mets bullpen. He could offer length and could pitch multiple days in a row. Unfortunately, his season came to a sudden end when a lat injury put him on the shelf during the stretch run of the season.

Much like Seth Lugo, Gsellman can pitch multiple innings and assumed the role early in the season. He is known for his hard riding sinker and added an excellent slider as another swing and miss pitch. Gsellman faired very well through the first month of the season with a 3.63 ERA. He had a streak of eight straight scoreless appearances before a streak of being scored upon in four straight.

Disastrous June

It was a rough month of June for Gsellman, which skewed his stats for the whole season. During that time of the year, the Mets bullpen seemed like it could not get a team of little leaguers out. In 9.2 innings, Gsellman allowed 11 runs, and teams were hitting .357 off of him. Gsellman was used in high leverage situations, which made the outcomes of these outings worse.

Two things stood out when watching him: He was prone to the big inning, and he did not pitch well at Citi Field. Gsellman had five appearances where he allowed three runs or more, and he had an alarming 8.51 ERA at home. On the road, he pitched to a 2.29 ERA.

July/August

Gsellman got himself back together for the rest of his season. In 15 appearances, he had a 3.72 ERA. While he was not a dominant reliever, he pitched out of trouble plenty of times and was a valuable member of the bullpen until his injury.

There have been talks of moving him back to the starting rotation, but it seems to be all talk. He will work his endurance up to being a starter, but he should stay in the bullpen. Gsellman has not started a game since the 2017 season.

Grades:

Pitching Repertoire: B+, Solid sinking fastball, and his slider improved significantly.

Control: B+, 3.3 BB/9, is reliable for any reliever. Has control issues during a couple of outings, but was generally stable.

Composure: A-

Intangibles: A, Very smart pitcher and is a versatile reliever, which the Mets will need in 2020.

Overall: B, It was not a fantastic season by any stretch, but he was a reliable middle reliever. His role should be lighter in 2020 if the bullpen returns to their expected form.

New York Mets Tender All Arbitration Eligible Players A Contract

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yankees, New York Mets, Marcus Stroman

The New York Mets have tendered all eight of their arbitration eligible players a contract.

The New York Mets’ announced last night that they have tendered a contract to all of eight of their eligible players.

This should come as no surprise considering who the eight players were.

Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo are both starting outfielders for the Mets, and all-star caliber players. There was never any doubt that the Mets would ever consider not tendering them a contract.

Marcus Stroman, Noah Syndergaard, and Steven Matz were also never in jeopardy. They’re three of the Mets starting pitchers for the 2020 season.

The Mets traded for Stroman in July and he pitched well for them. The Mets view him as their internal replacement for Zack Wheeler. Noah Syndergaard is one of the top 20-25 best pitchers in baseball. He had a down season last year, but even then his fWAR was higher than that of Dodgers’ ace Walker Buehler. Matz is one of if not the best number four starter in baseball. On another team Matz would likely slot in as their number two starter.

Seth Lugo and Edwin Diaz were also never in doubt. Lugo is one of the best relievers in baseball. He may have never been an All-Star, but he’s also never been a close before. He’s made his money working as a multi-inning relief ace to put out fires and bridge to the closer. He was excellent in that role and he was excellent was asked to close in 2019. Despite his down year, the Mets were never going to non-tender Diaz. His ceiling is way too high and they gave up way too much to let him leave.

Last is Robert Gsellman, and while it was unlikely he would be non-tendered there was a slight chance. Gsellman hasn’t excelled in either the bullpen or the starting rotation. He’s been mediocre at both and hasn’t given the Mets much reason to pay him more than a relief pitching free agent would cost. However, his versatility and his consistent mediocre ability are worth something. Not everybody has to be good, teams need mediocre middle-relievers too.

Mets News: Van Wagenen on Girardi, Cespedes and the starting rotation

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Simeon Woods-Richardson

New York Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen was proud to introduce Carlos Beltran as the team’s new manager on Monday, but he knew there’d be more than just questions about Beltran.

For instance, like why he passed on Joe Girardi, the man who seemed to be the most natural fit for the job.

“There were a lot of qualified candidates that brought different things to the table,” Van Wagenen said. “I thought that we considered all of those candidates and their strengths and ultimately it was Carlos’ strengths that won the day. It was less about where other candidates fell short and much more specifically about what Carlos’ leadership brings to our team, what his leadership brings to the organization and we had a great deal of confidence in that.”

The truth is he wanted a first-time manager and not one he inherited, such as Mickey Callaway.  He wanted his own. Beltran has other qualities that won him the job, but still, Met fans are leery. He will have earn their trust.

Cespedes’ Return Still Unknown

Outfielder Yoenis Cespedes is still a Met. Maybe you forgot. No one can blame you for that. Cespedes has not played since July 20, 2018 when it was decided that he needed surgery on both heels. That surgery was successful but his comeback last was then thwarted by an ankle fracture he suffered on his ranch in May. That’s the Mets’ story and their sticking to it.

Van Wagenen was asked on Monday what Cespedes’ status was. He wasn’t sure. I believe him.

Since Cespedes signed a four-year, $110 million extension with the Mets (with a no-trade clause) in November of 2016, he’s played in just 119 games. 2020 will be his last year under contract at a salary of $29.5 million.

Lugo, Gsellman could be starters again

With Zack Wheeler headed for free agency and a longshot to be re-signed by the Mets, the starting rotation will take on a different look in 2020. BVW did mention that the Mets would make a qualifying off to Wheeler, but the general consensus is that Wheeler will opt for free agency.

Jacob deGrom, Markus Stroman, Steven Matz and Noah Syndergaard – providing the team doesn’t trade him – will all be back but extra arms will be needed and Van Wagenen isn’t ruling out two players already on the staff that have started in the past in Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman.

Is this a subtle hint that BVW will be looking to futz with the bullpen again this offseason? You can almost bet on that he will. He is likely in the market for a closer and a setup man from each side of the mound. In short, he’s back to where he started from.