VIERA, Fla. – Omar Minaya believes there is somebody with the Mets’ bullpen that is going to be the key to the relief corps.
He won’t reveal who.
“It wouldn’t be right,” he said.
The GM doesn’t really need to admit who he’s thinking about as far as who’s the key to the pen, but the fact is that the Mets’ relief corps has emerged with some troubling issues.
The latest is Duaner Sanchez’s likely surgery and four-month absence, which is a shocking development. Meanwhile, Guillermo Mota is suspended for the first 50 games of the season due to steroids. Ambiorix Burgos has had a poor spring and Aaron Heilman has had elbow tendinitis.
“No question,” Billy Wagner said regarding whether the pen has become more of an issue. “I think it’s a concern to anybody. We really lost two guys that really influenced this bullpen.”
Wagner said that the Mets are “not going to be the same pen [in] April. And then again, maybe we are. Maybe [lefty Scott] Schoeneweis and me and Aaron and [lefty Pedro] Feliciano and the bullpen get off to a hot start. That would be a plus. But to see what we’ve lost, that’s definitely not going to be easy.”
Currently, the Mets have 10 relievers in camp, not including Juan Padilla, who’s been shut down due to elbow soreness. Besides Wagner, Heilman, Schoeneweis and Feliciano, the group includes six righties – Burgos, Jon Adkins, Chan Ho Park, Aaron Sele, Joe Smith and Lino Urdandeta. Smith, the sidearmer, seems to have a very good shot at making the team, while Urdaneta appears to be the biggest longshot. The Mets are likely to take seven relievers.
Even if Smith is on the team, though, the rookie could have some roles or situations that he’s unaccustomed to because of Sanchez’s and Mota’s absence. As Wagner said, “Joe Smith’s going to be somebody [who is] going to be asked to do some things that maybe he’s definitely not seen before. And hopefully he steps up.”
Park, meanwhile, is perhaps just as difficult a pitcher to evaluate. He is being sampled in the bullpen after not making the starting rotation and is slated to make his second relief appearance of the week today against the Braves. Last year Park was a reliever for three games with San Diego.
“Park right now is trying to find out if he can be a reliever,” Minaya said.
“If he is genuine, if he’s about winning, if it’s one of those situations, he can give us some serious experience,” Wagner said. “But as far as being in games, knowing how to pitch out of jams, knowing how to get out of situations, that’s where he can help.”
As for Burgos, he has an 8.10 ERA in 10 games.
“His potential’s there,” Wagner said of the righty. “Now the problem you run into is, do you chance it?”
Perhaps one of the biggest factors in helping the pen could be the Met hitters. Wagner noted that “our offense is going to have to be big for us. We’ve got some starting pitchers that can go out there and take care of some innings for us. But if we get in any trouble innings-wise, it’s a lot of unproven people we’ve got here in our bullpen – like Chan Ho and Sele.”