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The New York Mets are looking to the Seattle Mariners for bullpen help, as the team has traded left-handed pitcher Zach Muckenhirn for relief pitchers Chris Flexen and Trevor Gott, league sources told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Muckenhirn, a career minor leaguer, made his debut in the big leagues in 2023 at the age of 28, registering a 6.00 ERA in three games.
Flexen, 28, is a former starter-turned-reliever who pitched to a 3.66 ERA across 317 1/3 innings between 2021 and 2022. The Mets then quickly designated Flexen for assignment, league sources told Andy Martino of SNY.
That means that Gott, who owns a career 4.70 ERA in eight MLB seasons, is the centerpiece of the Mets' trade with the Mariners.
New York, 38-46, owns the 10th-worst bullpen ERA in the majors this season. To be fair to the Mets, the team got off on the wrong foot in terms of their bullpen when star closer Edwin Diaz suffered a season-ending injury in the World Baseball Classic during the offseason.
But the unit has nevertheless underachieved. Plus, Mets owner Steve Cohen in a recent press conference addressed the struggles, telling reporters that he and his management team are “preparing for all possibilities.”
The Mets have played themselves into these dire circumstances, as the team entered the 2023 season on the heels of a massive offseason that saw Cohen increase the team payroll to nearly $350 million.
But the Mets have fallen far short of those expectations, as they currently sit in fourth place in the National League East.
If they don't start to pick up some wins soon, Cohen and company may be trading away- and not for- players at the upcoming deadline.
