New York Mets

New York Mets Fantasy Baseball Daily Bullpen Updates and Closer Depth Chart

Closer1st in line2nd in line2025 CloserUpdated
NYMEdwin DíazAdam OttavinoBrooks RaleyEdwin Díaz3/12/24
(IL)

Previous updates:

March 13, 2024

New York Mets –  No reason for panic, Anthony DiComo reported Edwin Díaz will be away from the team for a couple of days, being present for the birth of his child. This will not affect his schedule or readiness for Opening Day. 

March 11, 2024

New York Mets –  Assuaging any concerns about his knee or velocity, Edwin Díaz made his triumphant return on Monday, striking out the side on 14 pitches (9 strikes – 64.2 Strike%) and producing seven whiffs (50 SwStr%). Covered by Bill Ladson of MLB.com, it’s only one outing, but a pivotal one for a Mets bullpen that missed his late-inning presence last year. 

March 10, 2024

New York Mets – Following up a previous note, Edwin Díaz will make his Grapefruit League debut on Monday per Steve Gelbs on “X”. Sound the trumpets, he returns. 

March 8, 2024

New York Mets – Remaining on track, Edwin Díaz appeared in minor league game action on Friday, retiring three in a row, then faced one more batter. If he feels good this weekend, he could appear in Grapefruit League action on Monday or Tuesday per Bill Ladson of MLB.com. 

March 5, 2024

New York Mets – Making his spring debut, Edwin Diaz retired the side in order while sitting 96-to-98 m.p.h. with his four-seam fastball per Tim Healey on “X”. 

March 4, 2024

New York Mets – Sound the trumpets, Edwin Díaz will make his spring training debut on Tuesday (March 5), but on the Minor League fields. Per Anthony DiComo, Díaz has thrown multiple live batting practice sessions. If all goes well in his debut, he will see Grapefruit League action soon thereafter. Cue “Narco“, it’s almost time. 

September 2, 2023
New York Mets – When the Mets took a 1 run lead in the bottom of the 8th it was Drew Smith who got the call to try to shut the door. Smith had given up solo homers in each of his last 2 appearances, but Buck Showalter felt good enough to run him out there again, and he delivered. Things looked dicey after a leadoff walk, but he picked off the pinch runner and got the last two outs to earn his 3rd save on the year. This is about as pure a committee as you could find right now, but given Smith’s most recent save he bumps up to first in line. 

Updated hierarchy: *Ottavino | Smith | Raley.
* = closer-by-committee

August 29, 2023
New York Mets – For the first time since undergoing patellar tendon surgery, Edwin Diaz threw a bullpen session. He maintains that his goal is to return to pitch for the Mets before the end of the season even though the club is out of contention, so if he happens to be available in your league (only 16% rostered in Yahoo!, for example), he could be worth stashing if you have IL space.

Hierarchy remains: *Ottavino | Raley | Smith.
* = closer-by-committee

August 18, 2023
New York Mets – With Adam Ottavino and Brooks Raley getting the day off, the Mets used Drew Smith to get out of a tight spot in the 7th inning. That left the save chance to Trevor Gott, who converted for his first of the season.

Hierarchy remains: *Ottavino | Raley | Smith.
* = closer-by-committee

August 14, 2023
New York Mets – Adam Ottavino pitched a perfect 9th inning, inducing three groundouts, to pick up his 7th save. Brooks Raley had a forgettable outing in the 8th, allowing a home run and a walk before Drew Smith bailed him out. We’ll switch up the committee accordingly, though this is still a fluid situation.

Updated hierarchy: *Ottavino | Raley | Smith.
* = closer-by-committee

August 10, 2023
New York Mets — Wednesday night, the save opportunity was all Adam Ottavino’s. But the veteran just didn’t have it, yielding a homer, a single, and a walk to put the go-ahead run on base. Naturally, the Mets turned to journeyman Phil Bickford, he of the 5.96 ERA, most famous for earning a seventh-inning save in a rainout and giving up Albert Pujols’s 700th home run. A bunt, a walk, and two strikeouts later, the Mets had the win, Bickford had his first ninth-inning save, and New York? Well, New York had a brand new hero. 

Hierarchy remains: *Raley | Ottavino | Smith.
* = closer-by-committee

August 2, 2023
New York Mets

The Mets lost in extra innings to the Royals on a walk-off balk.

Hierarchy remains: *Raley | Ottavino | Smith.
* = closer-by-committee

July 31, 2023
New York Mets – The second save after the David Robertson trade went also to Brooks Raley, who pitched a clean 9th for his 3rd save on the year. Adam Ottavino had gotten the last 2 outs of the 8th right ahead of him. Two in a row is enough to get the leader of the committee tag, but Ottavino is riding a 6 game scoreless streak right now, so he may get the next opportunity.

Updated hierarchy: *Raley | Ottavino | Smith.
* = closer-by-committee

July 31, 2023
New York Mets – The second save after the David Robertson trade went also to Brooks Raley, who pitched a clean 9th for his 3rd save on the year. Adam Ottavino had gotten the last 2 outs of the 8th right ahead of him. Two in a row is enough to get the leader of the committee tag, but Ottavino is riding a 6 game scoreless streak right now, so he may get the next opportunity.

Updated hierarchy: *Raley | Ottavino | Smith.
* = closer-by-committee

July 28, 2023
New York Mets – The Mets began waving the white flag after Thursday’s win, trading closer David Robertson to the Marlins. Adam Ottavino and Brooks Raley, who earned the save on Thursday, will now be the best bets for saves for the Mets.

Updated hierarchy: *Ottavino | Raley | Smith.
* = closer-by-committee

July 2, 2023
New York Mets – As predicted in the Vulture Save Watch yesterday, David Robertson received the day off and Adam Ottavino got the 9th inning in his absence.  Ottavino bounced back from giving up two runs in his previous appearance to pitch a scoreless 9th inning and earn his 6th save of the season.

Hierarchy remains: Robertson | Ottavino | Raley.

June 25, 2023
New York Mets – David Robertson recorded the last five outs of the Mets win yesterday to pick up his 11th save of the season.  The Mets have not had many saves recently but Robertson now has more than double the number of saves as Adam Ottavino and is his usage and overall numbers indicate he should be the primary closer moving forward.  We will kick the asterisk but note this is still a modern bullpen so even without it being a true committee, there could be times when Robertson is used before the 9th based on matchups and game situations.

Hierarchy remains: Robertson | Ottavino | Raley.

June 2, 2023
New York Mets – Drew Smith earned the easiest type of save Thursday – the one-out variety — after tossing just one 95-mph pitch to induce a game-ending flyout. It was Smith’s second save of the year. The Vulture Save Watch warned a vulture save was coming, naming Brooks Raley as a candidate. Raley recorded the first two outs of the ninth and allowing a single before giving way to Smith to close it out. In other news, Edwin Diaz has not ruled out a return this season.

Hierarchy remains: *Robertson | Ottavino | Raley.
* = closer-by-committee

May 27, 2023
New York Mets – With a 3 run lead, David Robertson took the 8th inning to face the top of the Rockies lineup. He gave up a leadoff homer, but got out of the inning. This put Brooks Raley in line for the save in the 9th, but a pair of walks got him an early hook and let Adam Ottavino finish the game with a little help from confused baserunning. Ottavino has had a few rough outings in May, so this may have been a chance for Raley to assert himself in the committee, but it looks like Ottavino will hold onto his 1st in line spot for now. 

Updated hierarchy: *Robertson | Ottavino | Raley.
* = closer-by-committee

May 22, 2023
New York Mets – After David Robertson and Adam Ottavino bumbled their way through the first game of the Guardians/Mets doubleheader, Brooks Raley pitched the 9th in game two for his first save of the season. Ottavino (4.82 ERA) hasn’t been as effective as last year, so we’ll monitor whether Robertson’s late-game tag-team partner becomes Raley, Drew Smith, or both.

Updated hierarchy: *Robertson | Ottavino | Raley.
* = closer-by-committee

May 13, 2023
New York Mets — David Robertson was brought in to face the 3-4-5 hitters in the bottom of the 8th in a 1 run game. He stuck around for the 9th but when he issued his second walk of the inning the Mets turned the game over to Drew Smith. Smith got the final out to earn his first save on the year. No reason to shake up the hierarchy based on last night, but it does emphasize this is a committee.

Hierarchy Remains: *Robertson | Ottavino | Smith.
* = closer-by-committee

May 6, 2023
New York Mets — MLB banned the shift this year, so only 2 defenders can be on the right side of the infield. They foolishly let baserunners remain there, so line drives which would tie the game end up as outs. You know who would not have let this slide? Kennesaw Mountain Landis. He would’ve banned baserunners like they had fixed the world series. Also, Adam Ottavino got the save.

Hierarchy Remains: *Robertson | Ottavino | Smith.
* = closer-by-committee

April 30, 2023
New York Mets — Brooks Raley was placed on the IL with elbow inflamation and Adam Ottavino is back from paternity list.  Drew Smith will replace Raley on the hierarchy and should set-up David Robertson and Adam Ottavino.

Updated hierarchy: *Robertson | Ottavino | Smith.
* = closer-by-committee

April 28, 2023
New York Mets — Adam Ottavino was placed on the paternity list on Thursday and will likely be out for a few games.

Hierarchy remains: *Robertson | Ottavino | Raley.
* = closer-by-committee

April 20, 2023
New York Mets — The Mets’ two-headed closer continues to roll. Adam Ottavino picked up his second straight save after David Robertson was called on for a high-leverage eighth. Over the past five days, each man has two saves.

Hierarchy remains: *Robertson | Ottavino | Raley.
* = closer-by-committee

April 18, 2023
New York Mets – David Robertson was given the night off after pitching in two straight, allowing Adam Ottavino to pick up the vulture save, as we forecasted yesterday.

Hierarchy remains: *Robertson | Ottavino | Raley.
* = closer-by-committee

April 16, 2023
New York Mets — After Adam Ottavino picked up the last save for the Mets, it was right back to David Robertson yesterday.  Robertson pitched a scoreless 9th inning for his third save of the season.  Robertson could be used before the 9th inning in certain situations but he has three saves to Ottavino’s one so far and we expect that to continue.

Hierarchy remains: *Robertson | Ottavino | Raley.
* = closer-by-committee

April 13, 2023
New York Mets — The Mets continue to use David Robertson as a fireman, calling on him in the seventh or eighth inning when necessary to face an opponent’s toughest hitters. Buck Showalter has buy-in from both Robertson and Adam Ottavino, each of whom should accrue his share of saves this season.  

Hierarchy remains: *Robertson | Ottavino | Raley.
* = closer-by-committee

April 11, 2023
New York Mets – It was a 5-run game, but the Mets flipped the script on their early season bullpen deployment, with David Robertson getting the 8th (against the top of the order) and Adam Ottavino handling the 9th. Though Robertson seems to be the top arm here, this usage bolsters the strength of the asterisk if he’s going to be used as the relief ace rather than the traditional closer.

Hierarchy remains: *Robertson | Ottavino | Raley.
* = closer-by-committee

April 9, 2023
New York Mets – David Robertson pitched a perfect 9th inning for his second save of the season.  Robertson has recorded both saves for the Mets so far and if he gets the next save, we will remove the asterisk.

Hierarchy remains: *Robertson | Ottavino | Raley.
* = closer-by-committee

March 31, 2023
New York Mets – With Edwin Diaz likely out for the entire season, the Mets turned first to David Robertson, who secured the save with a clean ninth inning. Will he get the next shot?

Hierarchy remains: *Robertson | Ottavino | Raley.
* = closer-by-committee

March 23, 2023
New York Mets – Since Edwin Diaz’s unfortunate injury, the Mets have been asking themselves how they will replace the league’s best closer from last year. While Adam Ottavino and David Robertson are the best options on the team currently, there had been some speculation that the Mets might try to trade for an established closer (maybe Edwin’s brother Alex?), although owner Steve Cohen recently threw some cold water on those rumors. The emerging consensus seems to be that David Robertson will have the first crack at saves, as he has a bit more closing experience compared to Ottavino. We will adjust the hierarchy accordingly, but as we noted in the season preview, this situation could move quickly as the Mets see a championship window and won’t be content to wait for the a bullpen battle to work itself out. 

Updated hierarchy: *Robertson | Ottavino | Raley.
* = closer-by-committee

March 16, 2023
New York Mets – With Edwin Diaz out for the sesaon, so look for Adam Ottavino and David Robertson to get the save opps, at least in the early going. (We’d rank them in that order, though things could change quickly.) Brooks Raley and Drew Smith are also likely to get some key innings, and while he’s currently nursing an injury, keep an eye on 6’7″ Bryce Montes de Oca, who can do things like this.

Starting 2023 hierarchy: *Ottavino | Robertson | Raley.
* = closer-by-committee
Holds candidates: Robertson, Raley, Smith.

September 2, 2022
New York Mets – Edwin Diaz, one day after this EPIC entrance, was anticlimactically called into Thursday’s game in the eighth inning to face the 3-4-5 hitters (Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and Max Muncy) with a three-run lead. The drama built, though, as it became the most pivotal moment of the contest. He walked Freeman and hit Smith with a pitch before allowing consecutive sacrifice flies to make it a two-run game. Diaz, who after the game said he didn’t have the feel he wanted for his slider, escaped the inning by throwing the hardest pitch of his career (102.8 mph) to strike out Gavin Lux. The sport’s best reliever this season, Diaz has appeared in the eighth inning five times in his past 13 appearances. Adam Ottavino has been used in the ninth in some of those instances, including Thursday, when he retired the side in order for his third save.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Ottavino | Lugo.

August 28, 2022
New York Mets – As predicted in the Vulture Save Watch, Edwin Diaz got the day off yesterday and Adam Ottavino pitched a scoreless 9th inning for his second save of the season.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Ottavino | Lugo.

August 26, 2022
New York Mets – Edwin Diaz was called into the game in the eighth inning Thursday to face the Rockies’ 2-3-4 hitters, leaving the ninth inning for Adam Ottavino, who converted for his first save of the year. Diaz almost always is the ninth-inning guy, regardless of situation, but he’s been the Mets’ best reliever by a wide margin in the second half (not including Darin Ruf), so perhaps more non-ninth high-leverage looks are possible moving forward.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Ottavino | Lugo.

August 16, 2022
New York Mets – Darin Ruf on Monday became just the third position player in the last 35 years to throw TWO scoreless innings on less than 15 pitches. Maybe the key to navigating the fierce Atlanta lineup is a steady diet of “55-60 mph” as Ruf suggested.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Ottavino | Lugo.

August 8, 2022
New York Mets – Edwin Diaz mowed down the top of the Braves order on Sunday afternoon, striking out Dansby Swanson, Matt Olson, and Austin Riley to lock up his 26th save of the year. The only thing that was maybe surprising is that it took 14 pitches for him to do it. Diaz, a free agent after this season, has now struck out 91 hitters in 45.1 innings, and currently has the best single-season K/9 (18.1) and K% (52.9%) that baseball has ever seen. Relievers come and go like the wind, so sometimes, you just have to stop and admire when you’re seeing something truly special.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Ottavino | Lugo.

August 3, 2022
New York Mets – The Mets traded for Mychal Givens on Tuesday and are expected to activate Trevor May from the IL later today, giving their bullpen some more depth heading into the stretch run. We’ll see how Buck Showalter, who managed Givens in Baltimore, deploys Givens, May and Seth Lugo going forward.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Ottavino | Lugo.

July 15, 2022
New York Mets – Trevor Williams pitched three scoreless innings to end Thursday’s game to earn his first career save. He won’t factor into normal late-inning circumstances.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Ottavino | Lugo.

July 12, 2022
New York Mets – While Drew Smith and Seth Lugo have traded inconsistent outings, veteran Adam Ottavino has become a stabilizing force in the Mets bullpen. He got the 8th inning last night in a 2-run game and pitched a scoreless inning, and is now, at minimum, in the conversation for saves when Edwin Diaz is unavailable.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Ottavino | Lugo.

July 5, 2022
New York Mets – Rather than use Edwin Diaz three times in four days, Buck Showalter decided to give his closer the night off, sending Seth Lugo out for the 9th inning in a three-run game against the Reds. Lugo converted for his third save, and this usage along with Drew Smith’s recent struggles prompts a move back to handcuff status on the hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Lugo | Smith.

July 2, 2022
New York Mets – Edwin Diaz ($10.2 million) pitched a clean 9th inning for his 17th save on the year, while Adam Ottavino ($4 million) and Seth Lugo ($3.925 million) picked up holds. David Peterson ($700,000) got the win while striking out 10, while Bobby Bonilla ($1.19 million) collected his 12th of 25 checks. Happy Bobby Bonilla Day to all those who celebrate!

Hierarchy Remains: Diaz | Smith | Lugo.

June 21, 2022
New York Mets – A day after one of Seth Lugo’s worst outings of the season, Drew Smith was tasked with the 8th of a four-run game, pitching a scoreless inning. Lugo has been serviceable this season (3.81 ERA), but he isn’t the lockdown reliever he was a few years ago, while Smith (2.03 ERA, 0.97 WHIP) has been a revelation. These two will probably continue to be used interchangeably, but Smith has inched ahead in terms of who is more likely to get a 9th inning should Edwin Diaz need a night off.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Smith | Lugo.

June 6, 2022
New York Mets – Buck Showalter flipped Edwin Diaz and Seth Lugo in the 8th and 9th innings of Sunday’s game, allowing Diaz to face the top of the Dodgers order, but the move backfired when Lugo allowed the tying runs to score in the 9th. Low on options for the 10th, the Mets sent out Adonis Medina for what was only his 6th appearance of the season, but the righty did an admirable job, stranding the inherited runner on 3rd (and the game-winning run on 2nd) for his first save of the season.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Lugo | Smith.

May 30, 2022
New York Mets – Drew Smith took a grounder off of his throwing hand on Sunday night, appearing to suffer a dislocated pinky finger. He’s day to day for now, so we’ll swap Seth Lugo into the handcuff spot and see if Smith needs an IL stint.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Lugo | Smith.

May 4, 2022
New York Mets — Seth Lugo closed out game two of a doubleheader sweep, with Edwin Diaz earning a save in the first game of the day. Drew Smith tossed two innings of no-hit ball to set up Diaz.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Smith | Lugo.

April 30, 2022
New York Mets — Edwin Diaz capped off a 5 reliever no-hitter for the Mets last night, earning his fourth save of the year in the process. Tylor Megill, Drew Smith, Joely Rodriguez and Seth Lugo also took part in the no-no, with Lugo getting the last 2 outs of the 8th inning. Lugo has bounced back from a rough start on the year to put together 4 scoreless appearances in a row, and with Trevor May struggling in his last few appearances, it’s looking like Lugo has jumped him in the hierarchy.

Updated Hierarchy: Diaz | Smith | Lugo.

April 23, 2022
New York Mets – Edwin Diaz wasn’t able to hold onto a 1 run lead, giving up a solo homer to Daulton Varsho. He limited the damage and picked up the win after the Mets took the lead in the 10th. Seth Lugo was on hand to snag the vulture save, which is an encouraging outing after a couple rough appearances in the early going. Drew Smith and Trevor May both picked up holds earlier in the game.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | May | Smith.

April 20, 2022
New York Mets – The Mets bullpen came up big against the Giants on Tuesday. Seth Lugo, Edwin Diaz and Adam Ottavino got the eighth, ninth and 10th innings, respectively, in game one of Tuesday’s doubleheader, all throwing scoreless frames in a Mets win. In game two, Drew Smith preserved an eighth-inning lead to allow Trevor May to earn his first save of the season.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | May | Smith.

April 18, 2022
New York Mets – Given their track records, it’s probably a little early to be worrying about Seth Lugo and Trevor May. But the pair of righties, who were expected to be the main bridges to Edwin Diaz, have both struggled thus far. Meanwhile, Drew Smith, who spent the offseason tinkering with his secondary stuff, has been dominant through his 5.2 innings of work so far, and it was Smith who got the 8th ahead of Diaz in Sunday’s victory. We’ll shake this hierarchy up for the time being, with the expectation that Lugo can make his way back on quickly with even a short run of success.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | May | Smith.

April 13, 2022
New York Mets – Edwin Diaz returned from mourning the loss of his grandfather to close out Tuesday’s win. Trevor May is day-to-day after an MRI showed a “very, very low-grade triceps strain,” and he should avoid an IL stint.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Lugo | May.

March 24, 2022
New York Mets – The Mets bullpen will shake out similarly to a season ago, with Edwin Diaz handling the 9th while Seth Lugo and Trevor May share the set-up role. Adam Ottavino joins to provide some depth along with holdovers Miguel Castro.

Starting 2022 hierarchy: Diaz | Lugo | May.
Holds candidates: Lugo, May, Ottavino.

September 5, 2021
New York Mets — After the Mets blew a 9-0 lead in game one of their doubleheader yesterday, they were able to take the lead again in extra innings and that left Heath Hembree to record the save.  Hembree recorded eight saves for the Reds this season but still doesn’t factor into the Mets’ regular late-inning plans at this point.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | May | Lugo.

September 3, 2021
New York Mets — The Mets have claimed Brad Hand off waivers from the Blue Jays. We’ll have to see if he sees enough high-leverage work the next couple of weeks to enter this hierarchy, but the chances are slim given how he looked with Toronto.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | May | Lugo.

August 7, 2021
New York Mets — Edwin Diaz was activated from the paternity list Friday and the Mets immediately threw him into the eighth inning down by a run. The sleep deprivation that comes with a newborn can be rough, so he gets a pass for pointing to the sky as if a routine pop up wasn’t actually a ball that traveled 440 feet to dead center. However, the Mets are fighting for their playoff lives and can’t afford to let any games slip away. We will keep an eye on this situation as Diaz’s seat heats up.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | May | Lugo.

August 5, 2021
New York Mets — With Edwin Diaz away from the team for the birth of his child, Trevor May picked up his fourth save of the season.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | May | Lugo.

July 21, 2021
New York Mets – The Mets eventually won the game in the 11th inning, but not after Edwin Diaz blew his third consecutive save by conceding a run in the 9th. Diaz’s main competition is Trevor May, who has posted 13 scoreless appearances in his last 14 outings, including the aforementioned 11th inning save last night. While the Mets certainly want to give Diaz every chance to serve as closer, we’ll keep an eye on this one to see if there’s any plans for a temporary change.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | May | Lugo.

July 19, 2021
New York Mets – After Edwin Diaz’s meltdown on Saturday, he got the day off Sunday, allowing Trevor May to pick up his second save of the season. May has likely inched ahead of Seth Lugo (who also got rocked Saturday) for handcuff duties at this point.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | May | Lugo.

July 6, 2021
New York Mets – Trevor May got the 8th inning ahead of Edwin Diaz on Monday night, and logged his 10th consecutive scoreless outing. After a rough stretch in the spring, May has righted the ship and should continue to get high-leverage innings going forward.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Lugo | May.

July 3, 2021
New York Mets — The Mets got some good news ahead of their series with the Yankees, as Jeurys Familia was activated from the IL. Familia has been boom-or-bust this year, with several scoreless outings surrounding a couple of disasters. We will see how the Mets deploy him, but expect him to work his way back towards the later innings. 

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Lugo | Castro.

June 18, 2021
New York Mets – Seth Lugo struck out three Cubs over the final two innings on Tuesday to pick up his first save of the season. Lugo is the top late-inning option for the Mets behind Edwin Diaz, who got a night off after working three of the past four nights.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Lugo | Castro.

June 3, 2021
New York Mets – Something isn’t quite right with Trevor May, who has given up 6 runs in his last 6.2 innings after a strong start to the season, and was randomly given extra rest by Luis Rojas earlier this week in a spot where he was seemingly in line to pitch. Whether he’s nursing a minor injury or not, it seems the Mets are looking to Jeurys Familia and Miguel Castro — the latter of whom did this to Ketel Marte while keeping the game tied across the 7th and 8th and earning a win when the Mets retook the lead — to do more of the heavy lifting for now. Seth Lugo also also made his first appearance of the season yesterday and could ascend the hierarchy quickly.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Castro | Familia.

May 28, 2021
New York Mets – While Edwin Diaz got the save in the first game of a doubleheader, the Mets dug deeper into their bullpen for game two, using Jeurys Familia in the sixth and leaving the seventh-inning Gsave chance to Robert Gsellman. Gsellman got two outs and hit a batter before an RBI single knocked him out of the game, leaving Jacob Barnes to get the final out for his second save of the year. While the Vulture Save Watch predicted Trevor May in this spot, after the game Luis Rojas said that he wanted to give both Trevor May and Miguel Castro the day off, as they had both seen a lot of work recently.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | May | Familia.

May 22, 2021
New York Mets – After the Mets ran through their entire hierarchy earlier in the game the 12th inning save was left to Aaron Loup protecting a 3 run lead. He gave up a pair of singles to give 2 of them back before getting a crucial double play and getting pulled for Jacob Barnes. Barnes got the last out to snag his first save of the year. The Mets had an off day on Thursday so last night’s heavy usage probably won’t affect their plans for today.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | May | Familia.

May 9, 2021
New York Mets – Edwin Diaz got the day off yesterday and Trevor May pitched a scoreless ninth for his first save of the season, but we aren’t telling you anything that the Vulture Save Watch didn’t already tell you yesterday.  

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | May | Familia.

May 3, 2021
New York Mets – Edwin Diaz gave up the game-tying home run, and then didn’t, but had to come out of the game before throwing another pitch due to a sore back. He’s being reevaluated today, and if he needs to miss any time, Trevor May is the likely candidate for saves, though Jeurys Familia (who got the 1-out save after Diaz came out) has also been excellent so far this season. If Diaz needs to miss time, we’ll follow up with an alert.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | May | Familia.

April 9, 2021
New York Mets – Edwin Diaz pitched in his first game and secured the win. Setting up him were Trevor May and Miguel Castro. Dellin Betances, meanwhile, was placed on the IL with a shoulder impingement. He was terrific and reliable from 2014-2018, but injuries continue to plague this stage of his career.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | May | Castro.

March 5, 2021
New York Mets – Edwin Diaz returned to form as one of the top relievers in the game last season, posting a 1.75 ERA and an astonishing 50 Ks over 25.2 innings pitched. His success was largely due to keeping the ball in the ballpark, as he allowed only 2 home runs all season, compared with 15 in 58.0 innings the year before. Seth Lugo will open the season on the injured list, so Dellin Betances and Trevor May will likely see their share of holds chances in the early going.

Starting 2021 hierarchy: Diaz | Betances | May.
Holds candidates: Betances, May, Aaron Loup, Jeurys Familia.

September 19, 2020
New York Mets — Trade deadline acquisition and World Series-winning reliever Todd Frazier came through, again, with a spotless ninth inning for the Mets Friday night, including this filthy strikeout of Adam Duvall. 

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Wilson | Familia.

September 12, 2020
New York Mets — For pitching three scoreless innings in an 18-1 blowout over Toronto, Erasmo Ramirez was awarded his fourth career save, and first since he left crazy Tampa in 2017.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Wilson | Familia.

August 31, 2020
New York Mets – Dellin Betances was just placed on the IL (and wasn’t pitching great anyway) meaning Edwin Diaz despite another brutal outing Sunday, in large part due to a lack of significant competition. Look for Justin Wilson to get more of the late innings.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Wilson | Familia.

August 20, 2020
New York Mets – The Mets have opted to move Seth Lugo into the rotation indefinitely, and they will likely use a committee to close out games moving forward.  Edwin Diaz, who walked in an inherited runner last night before picking up the win, should head the committee but expect Dellin Betances and Jeurys Familia to also be in the mix.

Updated hierarchy: *Diaz | Betances | Familia.
* = closer-by-committee

August 19, 2020
New York Mets – The Mets announced after Wednesday’s game that Seth Lugo will start on Thursday and will stay in the rotation indefinitely. Edwin Diaz (for now anyway) projects to lead a committee that will include Dellin Betances, Jeurys Familia and Justin Wilson.

Updated hierarchy: *Diaz | Betances | Familia.
* = closer-by-committee

August 18, 2020
New York Mets – Franklyn Kilome had a mostly forgettable outing on Monday night (3 IP, 4 hits, 5 BBs, 2 ERs), except for the fact that it came in the last three innings of a blowout, meaning he was awarded his first career save. He doesn’t factor in to the Mets usual late inning plans.

Hierarchy remains: Lugo | Diaz | Betances.

August 14, 2020
New York Mets – Quietly, Edwin Diaz hasn’t allowed a run since July 30, though he has pitched mostly in low-leverage spots lately. Still, Diaz is sporting a 2.16 ERA with 17 Ks in just 8.1 IP. Seth Lugo (2.00 ERA, 3 SV, 0.56 WHIP) is also pitching well, but Diaz might find his way back to the ninth inning after all. 

Hierarchy remains: Lugo | Diaz | Betances.

August 9, 2020
New York Mets – The Mets went to Seth Lugo with a one-run lead in the 8th yesterday and would’ve kept him in if they hadn’t extended their lead to four; instead, he was available today to get his 3rd save of the season, while Edwin Diaz pitched the 8th. Diaz has looked a lot better as of late, and might be the go-to guy for saves when Lugo is unavailable (which is generally more often than most relievers). But he has still dropped to second place in this bullpen and won’t get the call unless Lugo can’t go.

Updated hierarchy: Lugo | Diaz | Betances.

August 6, 2020
New York Mets – As predicted in the Vulture Save Watch, Seth Lugo was tapped to protect a two-run lead for the Mets. He did it in style, allowing no baserunners over two innings while tacking on a couple strikeouts. Diaz had a pair of clean outings in a row before last night’s rest, but Lugo is certainly lurking in the background of this bullpen. 

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Lugo | Betances. 

July 31, 2020
New York Mets – Edwin Diaz, who already has one blown save this season, was quite shaky Thursday night against the Red Sox, allowing one run in a 35-pitch appearance. He recorded just one out while walking two, giving up a single and drilling a batter. The performance prompted manager Luis Rojas to say after the game that the two “need to talk.Sounds ominous

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Lugo | Betances. 

July 28, 2020
New York Mets – The Mets took a five-run lead into the 8th inning, but after Jeurys Familia got in a jam, Seth Lugo came on to clean up the mess. Lugo, who thus far has looked every bit as sharp as last year (3.1 scoreless innings, 1 hit, 4 Ks, 0 BBs), escaped the inning and then retired the side in order in the 9th for his first save of the season. Edwin Diaz, already sitting on a blown save, will have competition if Lugo keeps this up. 

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Lugo | Betances. 

July 26, 2020
New York Mets – It took a little bit longer than most Mets’ fans probably expected (two games instead of one), but Edwin Diaz has his first blown save of the season.  Diaz gave up a solo homer in the top of the 9th to tie the game.  While manager Luis Rojas may not be concerned with Diaz, fantasy owners might be.  Dellin Betances made his Mets debut, striking out one in two-thirds of an inning, while Justin Wilson finished the 8th inning for the second night in a row.  The Mets have a number of options behind Diaz and with a short season, Diaz likely won’t have the luxury of a long leash.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz| Betances | Lugo.

February 26, 2020
New York Mets — The Mets’ worst three bullpen ERAs in history have come in 2019, 2018, and 2017, but there’s again reason for cautious optimism in Flushing, as various projection systems are projecting bounce-back campaigns from Edwin Diaz and Jeurys Familia, along with a healthy (or healthier) contribution from Dellin Betances. Seth Lugo was one of the NL’s top relievers last year, and he figures to factor in to the late-inning mix as well, with veterans Justin Wilson and Brad Brach bridging the gap to the late innings. The Mets will give Diaz a chance to close to start the year, but it’s likely he’ll be on a short leash due to his 2020 struggles, so Betances and/or Lugo might be worth stashing if you’ve got the roster space.

Starting 2020 Hierarchy: Diaz | Betances| Lugo.
Holds candidates: Betances, Lugo, Familia.

September 29, 2019
New York Mets — Manager Mickey Callaway said that he wanted to get another safe situation for Edwin Diaz before the end of the season and last night provided him with that opportunity.  Diaz responded with a perfect ninth inning for his first save in over a month.

Hierarchy remains: *Diaz | Familia | Avilan.
* = closer-by-committee

September 28, 2019
New York Mets — Seth Lugo pitched the last two innings of his season yesterday, throwing 41 pitches to earn his sixth save of the year. After the game manager Mickey Callaway said that Lugo will be shut down for the final two games of the year. Lugo was excellent for the Mets, posting a 0.90 WHIP over 80 innings, but with him shut down, and with Justin Wilson and Robert Gsellman also likely done for the year, look for Edwin Diaz to get any save chances this weekend.

Updated hierarchy: *Diaz | Familia | Avilan.
* = closer-by-committee

September 23, 2019
New York Mets — Seth Lugo got used ahead of Justin Wilson again, facing the middle of the Reds’ order. This has become a pattern of sorts, so we’ll throw an asterisk on here for the last week of the season. Robert Gsellman is also nearing a return.

Updated hierarchy: *Lugo | Wilson | Diaz.
* = closer-by-committee

September 15, 2019
New York Mets – Seth Lugo struck out the side in the top of the 8th inning of a tie game.  In the bottom of the 8th inning Lugo was due up with the bases loaded and the game still tied so the Mets called on Rajai Davis to pinch hit.  Davis came through and that left Justin Wilson for the 9th inning.  Wilson pitched a perfect ninth inning for his third save of the season.

Hierarchy remains: Lugo | Wilson | Diaz.

September 11, 2019
New York Mets – Justin Wilson got a four-out save for the Mets, taking over for Brad Brach in the 8th and staying on through a tumultuous 9th for his second save of the year. Notably absent was Edwin Diaz, though Mickey Callaway said postgame that Diaz would still get his chances. Wilson seems like the handcuff for now, though.

Updated hierarchy: Lugo | Wilson | Diaz.

September 10, 2019
New York Mets – Seth Lugo had another dominant performance, striking out four hitters over two perfect innings. We’ve talked about his durability before, and he’ll still need regular rest even as the Mets attempt a last ditch run for the Wild Card, but he’s the clear top option here; we’re removing his asterisk.

Updated hierarchy: Lugo | Diaz | Wilson.

September 7, 2019
New York Mets — With a two-run lead, the Mets went to Edwin Diaz to try to close out the Phillies. Diaz gave up the tying home run, but vultured a win when Pete Alonso drew a walk-off walk. Despite resting on Thursday, Seth Lugo needed another day. Mickey Callaway’s announcement that Diaz would continue to be Lugo’s backup was not welcome news to Mets fans.

Hierarchy remains: *Lugo | Diaz | Wilson.
* = closer-by-committee

September 4, 2019
New York MetsYOU BLEW IT!

Hierarchy remains: *Lugo | Diaz | Wilson.
* = closer-by-committee

September 1, 2019
New York Mets — Seth Lugo recorded his fourth save of the season on Saturday.  Lugo is clearly the first option when he is available but he threw two innings for the third time in his last four appearances.  Edwin Diaz is likely still in the mix for saves just because Lugo won’t usually go back-to-back because he pitches multiple innings.

Hierarchy remains: *Lugo | Diaz | Wilson.
* = closer-by-committee

August 29, 2019
New York Mets — After a few days off with trapezius tightness, Edwin Diaz returned on Wednesday and struck out the side. Talking him up after the game, Mickey Callaway said Diaz is now using Jacob deGrom’s slider grip

Hierarchy remains: *Lugo | Diaz | Wilson.
* = closer-by-committee

August 23, 2019
New York Mets — As we figured, Seth Lugo didn’t get the save on Thursday, but Mother Nature intervened to make sure Edwin Diaz didn’t either. Diaz was warming while Paul Sewald tossed a clean eighth, but when the rain took over, Sewald walked away with the sneaky vulture save.

Hierarchy remains: *Lugo | Diaz | Wilson.
* = closer-by-committee

August 19, 2019
New York Mets – Taking a 6-run lead into the 9th inning, the Mets went to Edwin Diaz to close it out, and Diaz posted his first 1-2-3 inning since July 21. Given recent usage, it seems the Mets’ plan going forward is that Lugo will get save chances if he’s available, while Diaz is probably the first option if he isn’t. As mentioned before, Lugo has trouble going on back to back nights, so Diaz is probably still in line for a handful of save chances down the stretch.

Updated hierarchy: *Lugo | Diaz | Wilson.
* = closer-by-committee

August 18, 2019
New York Mets — Seth Lugo bounced back from his disastrous outing on Wednesday to throw a perfect ninth inning for his third save of the season.  The Mets will likely continue to use both Lugo and Diaz to close out games.

Hierarchy remains: *Diaz | Lugo | Wilson.
* = closer-by-committee

August 16, 2019
New York Mets — It didn’t look like the Mets would need a closer Thursday, but things got scary quick in the ninth. With a 10-4 lead, Drew Gagnon gave up three homers, and it was ol’ Edwin Diaz called on to rescue the Mets at 10-8. After walking the first hitter on four pitches, Diaz managed to get a K for the one-out save, his first since July 31. Justin Wilson could get some shots and Seth Lugo will be the relief “ace,” but the Mets are apparently going to give Diaz yet another chance to keep the closer role.

Updated hierarchy: *Diaz | Lugo | Wilson.
* = closer-by-committee

August 15, 2019
New York Mets — Pump the brakes on the Seth Lugo bandwagon after Wednesday night’s five-run abomination. Using Lugo in the seventh inning of a one-run game meant someone else was getting the save chance anyway, probably Justin Wilson. Lugo wasn’t exactly smacked around, giving up a walk and a handful of singles, but Mickey Callaway’s eagerness to use his best reliever early on makes it impossible for you to trust Lugo for saves. Our guess is Wilson gets the next shot.

Updated hierarchy: *Wilson | Lugo | Diaz.
* = closer-by-committee

August 12, 2019
New York Mets – Sunday provided another disappointing outing from Edwin Diaz, who allowed two runs in a non-save situation. Though Diaz will continue to get high-leverage innings, we have a feeling that Seth Lugo gets the next save chance here. Lugo will probably never be a full time closer, since the Mets tend to avoid using him on back to back nights, but he should be good for some saves down the stretch.

Updated hierarchy: *Lugo | Diaz | Wilson.
* = closer-by-committee

August 11, 2019
New York Mets — Seth Lugo started the eighth inning of a tie game yesterday and retired the first two batters he faced to tie the franchise record of 26 consecutive batters retired.  Unfortunately, the next batter hit a go-ahead solo homerun.  After the Mets took a one run lead in the bottom of the eighth and created what would have been a save chance for Edwin Diaz, Lugo still came back out for the ninth and finished off the Mets’ win.  Mickey Callaway mentioned that he would be flexible with the closer’s role.  This looks like a comittee for now and if Diaz doesn’t pitching better, Lugo could take the job.

*Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Lugo | Wilson.
* = closer-by-committee

August 9, 2019
New York Mets — The Mets have signed former All-Star reliever Brad Brach, released by the Cubs this week after an ugly season (6.13 ERA). The signing is a low-risk gamble for the Mets, who need someone besides Seth Lugo to pitch well in the bullpen as they make a playoff push.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Lugo | Wilson.

August 6, 2019
New York Mets – A game one appearance by Edwin Diaz meant that the save chance in the nightcap of the Mets’ doubleheader sweep went to Seth Lugo. Lugo, who now has not allowed a run in his last 15.2 innings (including no hits OR walks in his last 10 innings), pitched two perfect innings for his second save of the year. Before the game, Mickey Callaway was more forceful about the fact that Diaz remains the closer, but Lugo, who was the NL Reliever of the Month in July, is certainly making a case for himself.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Lugo | Wilson.

August 4, 2019
New York Mets — Remember when Edwin Diaz’s ERA was 1.64 on May 28th?  It’s probably hard for Mets’ fans and fantasy owners to remember that, especially after Diaz gave up two more runs last night to raise his ERA to 5.44.  Diaz has now given up runs in four straight appearances.  Meanwhile, Seth Lugo gave up zero runs in the entire month of July and kept that going into August with a scoreless inning yesterday.  When manager Mickey Callaway was asked about Diaz after the game, he was non-committal and said nobody was locked into a role.   We will leave everything as is for now, but Diaz is definitely on the hot seat.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Lugo | Wilson.

August 3, 2019
New York Mets — Mickey Callaway helped clarify how he sees his bullpen, stating that he was saving Justin Wilson and Seth Lugo last night in case the Mets took the lead. That plan backfired because the Mets extended their deficit to four runs by turning to Tyler Bashlor instead a more qualified option. Better luck next time.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Lugo | Wilson.

July 31, 2019
New York Mets — Edwin Diaz didn’t exactly help his trade value on Tuesday night as he blew a 2-1 lead in the ninth inning by throwing a lot of pitches that weren’t close to the strike zone. If Diaz does get traded, Seth Lugo should take over the ninth inning in Flushing while Diaz’s fantasy value will be dictated by his destination.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Lugo | Familia.

July 27, 2019
New York Mets — A day after Edwin Diaz left the a game with a foot injury, Mickey Callaway decided to give him another night of rest. Instead, Seth Lugo pitched a clean ninth inning for his first save of the year. Diaz’s X-rays came back negative, but in a three-run game the Mets decided not to take a chance with his landing foot. Look for Diaz to be available tonight in perhaps one of his final few outings in a Mets uniform this season.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Lugo | Familia.

July 26, 2019
New York Mets — Edwin Diaz’s rough season continued Thursday when he was struck in the left foot by a line drive off the bat of Manny Machado. X-rays after the game were negative, but for now consider Diaz day to day. If he has to miss any time, we expect Seth Lugo to fill in.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Lugo | Familia.

July 25, 2019
New York Mets — Rumors of Edwin Diaz’s trade availability should be discounted; the closer simply isn’t pitching well enough to warrant the price the Mets are apparently seeking. Behind Diaz, Jeurys Familia continues to be terrible, and Mickey Callaway continues to have no idea what to do about it.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Lugo | Familia.

July 6, 2019
New York Mets — Edwin Diaz’s frustrating season continued last night as he entered a tied game in the ninth and got tagged for four runs. After the game, Mickey Callaway said he’d consider a switch at closer if somebody else could do a better job. At this point, that list includes Bobby Bonilla, Tim Tebow, and (especially) Jerry Seinfeld, but the most likely beneficiary of a Diaz demotion is Seth Lugo (3.43 ERA, 11.6 K/9). Jeurys Familia may be only a couple years (and five points on his ERA) removed from saving 51 games, but if he gets the job, we’ll eat our Knicks hat.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Lugo | Familia.

July 3, 2019
New York Mets — Good news for anyone in a 75-team league: the Mets activated Jeurys Familia and Justin Wilson from the IL yesterday! If you are indeed forced to roster either pitcher, Mickey Callaway said that both pitchers will get thrown right back into their previous roles. For Familia at least, this means high-leverage work, which means he’ll tentatively reclaim a spot in the hierarchy. Meanwhile, Edwin Diaz actually looked good last night to close out the Mets’ second straight win. They win one more tomorrow, that’s called a winning streak. It has happened before.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Lugo | Familia.

June 28, 2019
New York Mets — Edwin Diaz allowed five runs on two home runs in a rough blown save Thursday. He has allowed nine runs in his last five appearances, ballooning his ERA to an unpleasant 4.94 and sending the Sports Pope into a frenzy. Diaz has been a bit unlucky, as his swinging-strike rate is about as good as it was last year (18.2%), and his xFIP (2.65) and SIERA (2.36) look strong. With these last two homers allowed, though, he’s already matched last year’s total (five).

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Lugo | Gsellman.

June 19, 2019
New York Mets — Mickey Callaway found a new way to sound like a crazy person on Tuesday, explaining that he went to Robert Gsellman in garbage time to (a) save Jacob deGrom’s ERA somehow, and (b) ensure the team didn’t blow the lead. The Mets bullpen was without Jeurys Familia, who returned to the IL with a recurrent bone spur in his shoulder, but we’d expect even Robinson Cano could have earned two outs before the Braves scored eight.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Lugo | Gsellman.

June 14, 2019
New York Mets — Edwin Diaz took the mound in rain-soaked New York to try to nail down the save. He had a two-run lead in the ninth when umpires ordered tarps onto the field, then reversed that decision after pressure from the teams. Diaz coughed up a couple of runs before finishing the inning, at which point play was suspended until Friday. No chance at a vulture save for the Mets, who can win only on a walk-off.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Lugo | Gsellman.

June 1, 2019
New York Mets — With Edwin Diaz having thrown 30 pitches on Wednesday, the Mets opted to give him another night of rest and send out Robert Gsellman to protect a one-run lead in the ninth. Gsellman gave up a walk, but locked down his first Gsave of the year. Diaz had a brutal outing on Wednesday, which led to some speculation that he was wearing down, but prior to his last blown save he had not given up an earned run in eight straight appearances. The Mets did get some good news as Seth Lugo was activated from the IL and immediately picked up a hold last night, pitching a clean eighth ahead of Gsellman. It’s safe to say the Mets expected more out of Diaz when they brought him over from Seattle, but it seems he still has the closer’s job for now. 

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Lugo | Gsellman.

May 29, 2019
New York Mets — After Robert Gsellman escaped a seventh-inning jam having allowed only one run, the Mets turned to Jeurys Familia in the eighth inning to protect what became a four-run lead. Familia put two men on before inducing a double play to end the frame and record his fourth consecutive scoreless appearance. Familia appears to have earned Mickey Callaway’s trust again, but we’ll see how long that lasts. Meanwhile, Seth Lugo is eligible to return from the IL on Thursday but is unlikely to do so since he has yet to even throw a bullpen session.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Familia | Gsellman.

May 24, 2019
New York Mets — One day after saying the “three-out rule” would no longer apply to Edwin Diaz, Diaz wasn’t even warming up as Robert Gsellman turned a 3-1 lead into a 4-3 deficit in the eighth inning. The Mets then scored three of their own, giving Diaz the save and Gsellman a very cheap win. After the game, manager Mickey Callaway explained that the decision to not use Diaz early “was an easy one,” arguing that Diaz had warmed up frequently over the last few days. Diaz did warm up before heading in for the ninth, of course. Ahead of Gsellman and Diaz, the much-maligned Jeurys Familia tossed a perfect seventh inning as he works to fully regain Callaway’s trust.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Gsellman | Familia.

May 23, 2019
New York Mets — New York is reconsidering its hardline stance toward saving Edwin Diaz for conventional save opportunities, with Mickey Callaway announcing that the team’s dire need “to win some games” would trump its wish to save the closer some wear and tear. The move is partly a response to Jeurys Familia’s lousy season; Callaway added that Robert Gsellman, Drew Gagnon, and Tyler Bashlor would be seeing more late-inning work as Familia tries to get back on track.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Gsellman | Familia.

May 21, 2019
New York Mets – The Mets placed Seth Lugo on the IL prior to Monday’s game, leaving Jeurys Familia, Daniel Zamora, and Robert Gsellman to muddle their way through the 7th and 8th innings. It’s likely that Familia, who has looked a bit better since his return from injury, is the handcuff for the time being.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Familia | Gsellman.

May 18, 2019
New York Mets — Jeurys Familia pitched a scoreless eighth inning with the Mets down two, and it looks like the Mets are working him back towards the late innings front of Edwin Diaz. Mickey Callaway has said that Familia will have to earn his way into the back end of the bullpen with Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman pitching well, but the last two outings have been encouraging for the Mets’ big-money setup man. He will still have to fight past Lugo and Gsellman, but last night was another positive step for Familia.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Lugo | Gsellman.

May 15, 2019
New York Mets — The Mets activated Jeurys Familia from the IL on Tuesday. Mickey Callaway said that he doesn’t plan to use Familia in a high-leverage situation right away if he can help it, though if nobody else is available then Familia will be called upon in those spots. Ultimately, Callaway wants Familia to return to a setup role for Edwin Diaz.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Lugo | Gsellman.

May 12, 2019
New York Mets — In honor of Mother’s day today, Met’s closer Edwin Diaz will wear a special glove to honor the women in his life.  Diaz’s mother was diagnosed with cancer last year, but about two weeks ago, she let him know that was cancer free.  Happy Mother’s Day!

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Lugo | Gsellman.

May 2, 2019
New York Mets — A recurrent bone spur in Jeurys Familia’s shoulder has sent him to the injured list. Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman will split setup duties in his absence, with Luis Avilan and Drew Gagnon backing them up when necessary.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Lugo | Gsellman.

May 1, 2019
New York Mets – With Edwin Diaz getting a night off, Jeurys Familia was in line for a multi-inning save and secured five outs in a row, which pleased manager Mickey Callaway. Unfortunately for Familia, he needed six outs for the save, and after a walk and three singles, the Reds tied the game. The Mets came back and won, but Familia proved that the Vulture Save Watch can only predict save chances. It can’t convert them, too.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Familia | Lugo.

April 24, 2019
New York Mets – Justin Wilson is on the 10-day IL with elbow soreness, so Seth Lugo should see a few more hold opportunities this week.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Familia | Lugo.

April 3, 2019
New York Mets – Edwin Diaz and Jeurys Familia were both unavailable on Tuesday, which opened the door for Justin Wilson to record his first save since July 2017. Seth Lugo, who has been sick the last few days, labored through 1.1 innings of work in the seventh and eighth before turning the ball over to Wilson. We’ll slide Wilson into the hierarchy after his save; he and Lugo will remain options for holds and perhaps a save chance or two when Diaz and Familia can’t pitch.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Familia | Wilson.

March 29, 2019
New York Mets – Opening Day went just about as well as any Mets fan could imagine after a big offseason. Robinson Cano homered. The newly re-signed Jake DeGrom was lights-out in six innings. And new acquisition Edwin Diaz closed things out in the ninth for his first save. As expected, he was set up by old friend Jeurys Familia. Seth Lugo pitched a clean seventh, so we’ll slide him into the second-in-line role for now.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Familia | Lugo.

February 21, 2019
New York Mets – After posting the third-worst bullpen ERA in baseball in 2018, the Mets spent part of their busy offseason attempting to shore up their relief corps and have, on paper, flipped the script from a year ago, with their bullpen currently projected to be the third-best in baseball. They traded for one of the best relievers in the game, Edwin Diaz; brought back their former closer who they had dealt midseason, Jeurys Familia; and added veteran lefty Justin Wilson. That trio will join holdovers Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman to make up what will likely be the team’s top five relievers; rounding out this pen will be some mix of veterans (Luis Avilan, Hector Santiago) and youngsters (Paul Sewald, Daniel Zamora).

Starting 2019 hierarchy: Diaz | Familia | Wilson.
Holds candidates: Familia, Wilson, Lugo.

September 28, 2018
New York Mets — Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo, the top two arms in the Mets bullpen, will not pitch this weekend, said Mickey Callaway. That leaves the door open for an Anthony Swarzak save chance or two. Grab him and/or Jerry Blevins if you’re still scrapping for saves.

Updated hierarchy: Swarzak | Blevins | Rhame.

September 27, 2018
New York Mets — As we forecast Wednesday morning, Robert Gsellman got the gnight off and Seth Lugo picked up his third save of the year.

Hierarchy remains: Gsellman | Lugo | Swarzak.

September 24, 2018
New York Mets – Both Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo pitched on Thursday and Friday, and with the Mets looking to protect both of them from injury, they both got a second straight day off on Sunday. Anthony Swarzak got the final five outs in their place for his fourth save of the season. If you’re in a deep league and are desperate for saves in the final week, you could do worse than Swarzak, who has an outside shot at another save chance in the season’s final week.

Hierarchy remains: Gsellman | Lugo | Swarzak.

September 21, 2018
New York Mets — Extra innings and a win for the away team are a perfect recipe for a vulture save, and Paul Sewald (5.93 ERA) did the honors on Thursday. It was his second save this month, but don’t fret, all regular hierarchy members pitched earlier in the game.

Hierarchy remains: Gsellman | Lugo | Swarzak.

September 10, 2018
New York Mets — Seth Lugo grabbed a two-inning vulture save on Sunday, striking out five Phillies and giving up a solo home run. Anthony Swarzak was activated from the disabled list over the weekend and will rejoin Lugo and Robert Gsellman in the late innings.

Updated hierarchy: Gsellman | Lugo | Swarzak.

September 2, 2018
New York Mets — After the Mets took the lead in the top of the 11th, Robert Gsellman came on for an uneventful 1-2-3 bottom of the inning to pick up his 9th save of the season.  While there is still a chance for rogue saves out of the Mets bullpen like the one Paul Sewald got on 8/23, this does not appear to be a true committee and Gsellman should continue to see the majority of save chances to close out the season.

Updated hierarchy: Gsellman | Lugo | Blevins.

August 23, 2018
New York Mets — Robert Gsellman pitched the eighth inning against the heart of the Giants lineup, but with Seth Lugo coming off 52 pitches over the last three days, Mickey Callaway called on Daniel Zamora and Paul Sewald to close the game. Sewald still has an 0-10 career record, but now he has a save to go with it. Expect Gsellman and Lugo to be rested more often down the stretch.

Hierarchy remains: *Gsellman | Lugo | Blevins.
* = closer-by-committee

August 13, 2018
New York Mets – Seth Lugo allowed a couple of hits in the 9th inning, but held on to pick up his first save of the season. Robert Gsellman got the 8th inning, and one of these two should be in line for almost all of the Mets’ save opportunities down the stretch. We still think Gsellman will get the ball a little more often, but if Mickey Callaway deploys them in this fashion again, we’ll consider swapping them in the hierarchy.

Hierarchy remains: *Gsellman | Lugo | Blevins.
* = closer-by-committee

August 7, 2018
New York Mets – After Bobby Wahl and Robert Gsellman navigated the 7th and 8th innings, the Mets called on lefty Jerry Blevins for the 9th. Joey Votto was due up third, so the matchup made sense, and Blevins did the job, earning his first save of the year. Blevins hasn’t given up a run in his last six appearances, and might be in line for another save chance or two if the Mets continue to play matchups in this fashion.

Updated hierarchy: *Gsellman | Lugo | Blevins.
* = closer-by-committee

August 6, 2018
New York Mets – The Mets put Anthony Swarzak back on the DL yesterday afternoon, so his stretch at the top of this committee lasted all of a week. Look for Robert Gsellman to be the main beneficiary, with Seth Lugo spelling him from time to time. We’ll slot Bobby Wahl — acquired in the Jeurys Familia trade and recently called up to the bigs — in behind them.

Updated hierarchy: *Gsellman | Lugo | Wahl.
* = closer-by-committee

August 5, 2018
New York Mets – Robert Gsellman got the last four outs on Saturday to record his sixth save of the season.  Gsellman and Anthony Swarzak should continue to split save chances.

Hierarchy remains: *Swarzak | Gsellman | Lugo.
* = closer-by-committee

July 30, 2018
New York Mets – Anthony Swarzak picked up his second save in five days on Sunday afternoon with a perfect, two-strikeout inning. Look for the Mets to continue to spread chances around, but Swarzak looks like the guy who is most likely to get one on any given night.

Updated hierarchy: *Swarzak | Gsellman | Lugo.
* = closer-by-committee

July 26, 2018
New York Mets — The Mets used Robert Gsellman in a tight spot in the seventh, leaving Anthony Swarzak to pick up his second save of the season with an impressive two-inning appearance. Swarzak is better than his numbers suggest (though not nearly as good as his contract suggests), and if Gsellman is going to be used in high-leverage spots before the ninth, Swarzak could grab some more save opportunities. Over the long-long-term, however, advanced stats suggest you might want to look into Bobby Wahl (subscription).

Hierarchy remains: *Gsellman | Swarzak | Lugo.
* = closer-by-committee

July 21, 2018
New York Mets — After an evening of speculation on Friday, Jeurys Familia was officially traded to Oakland this afternoon. Mickey Callaway said that he’ll prefer to use a committee as opposed to one main closer. Robert Gsellman should be the leader of a pack that includes Anthony Swarzak and Seth Lugo.

Updated hierarchy: *Gsellman | Swarzak | Lugo.
* = closer-by-committee

July 21, 2018
New York Mets — Robert Gsellman picked up a two-inning save against the Yankees on Friday night, as Jeruys Familia was held out of the game because a trade was close to finalized. Oakland is the most likely landing spot for Familia if the two sides can complete the deal. While trade negotiations can always fall apart, this move seems imminent, and you should grab Gsellman right now if he is available. Don’t be surprised when an alert hits later today that Familia has been traded. 

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Gsellman | Swarzak.

July 14, 2018
New York Mets — Jeurys Familia was given the night off after pitching in back-to-back games and three of the last four. Robert Gsellman came on for the 8th inning with a three-run lead and stuck around for the 9th to record his fourth gsave of the year. Anthony Swarzak was rested, but he has struggled recently, giving up four runs in his only two July appearances. Given that and Gsellman’s clear vulture save last night, it looks like Gsellman has the inside track if Familia is unavailable. 

Updated hierarchy: Familia | Gsellman | Swarzak.

July 7, 2018
New York Mets — MLB has reinstated former closer Jenrry Mejia after his “lifetime” ban for PED use. Mejia was the first player to receive a lifetime ban, but now he could return in 2019. The Mets were non-committal in their response, saying they will “assess the situation and our options in the coming months.” While he won’t have any impact this year, Mejia was a major part of the Mets bullpen prior to the ban, and he did sign a contract with the Mets this year in case he was reinstated. Dynasty leagues may find him to be an interesting option.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Swarzak | Gsellman.

July 2, 2018
New York Mets — After two sparkling starts and three more pedestrian ones, the Mets have returned Seth Lugo to the bullpen, where he will bolster Anthony Swarzak and Robert Gsellman in the middle innings.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Swarzak | Gsellman.

June 28, 2018
New York Mets — Jeurys Familia earned a five-out save on Tuesday, but fell short on Wednesday, giving up three singles and a walk before Anthony Swarzak came in and allowed all three inherited runners to score. Sell Familia now on the strength of his name before he gets traded and winds up pitching the eighth.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Swarzak | Gsellman.

June 18, 2018
New York Mets – The Mets activated Jeurys Familia ahead of Sunday’s game, and then went to him in the 8th inning down by a run, presumably to make sure he got the opportunity to pitch. When they surged ahead in the top of the 9th, Robert Gsellman was the guy to get the save chance. Familia should resume closing going forward.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | Swarzak | Gsellman.

June 17, 2018
New York Mets – The Mets are expected to activate Jeurys Familia on Sunday, and Mickey Callaway said that he could use Familia in the ninth in his first outing back.

Hierarchy remains: *Swarzak | Gsellman | Sewald.
* = closer-by-committee

June 11, 2018
New York Mets – Robert Gsellman got 6 big outs for the Mets last night, but it was Anthony Swarzak who got the ball in the 9th inning — the second straight game that he’s pitched after Gsellman. It wasn’t the most inspiring outing, as Swarzak walked a batter before inducing a game ending line-drive-double-play, and Swarzak only has 5.1 big league innings this year, having been on the shelf for most of the season. But he seems to be Mickey Callaway’s preferred option right now, and could get a few more chances in Jeurys Familia’s absence.

Updated hierarchy: *Swarzak | Gsellman | Sewald.
* = closer-by-committee

June 10, 2018
New York Mets – Anthony Swarzak picked up his first save of the season tonight, closing out a 2-run victory. Though Robert Gsellman has been the handcuff for Jeurys Familia all year — and Swarzak has only pitched a few innings all season long — it seems as if the latter will be the Mets stopper while Familia is out, as Swarzak was also used later than Gsellman on Saturday. Mickey Callaway didn’t confirm anything postgame, so we’ll keep an asterisk here for now until we’re certain, but for now, it seems like the veteran righty is the go-to guy.

Updated hierarchy: *Swarzak | Gsellman | Sewald.
* = closer-by-committee

June 9, 2018
New York Mets – Jeurys Familia landed on the 10-day DL with a shoulder injury. Mickey Callaway said that an MRI looked “pretty clean” and that he hopes that Familia will return as soon as he is eligible. Robert Gsellman will likely get the first crack at any gsave opportunities while Familia gsits out. Anthony (g)Swarzak, who was activated from the DL on June 5, will also be in the mix, with Callaway noting that the Mets will look to see who is available and who is coming up before deciding who will close. While this has the markings of a committee, we think Gsellman is clearly the best option, at least until Swarzak can get back into a rhythm.

Updated hierarchy: Gsellman | Swarzak | Sewald.

June 8, 2018
New York Mets – Jeurys Familia was placed on the disabled list this afternoon retroactive to yesterday. Robert Gsellman is the best bet to close in his place, with Anthony Swarzak also potentially receiving consideration.

Updated hierarchy: Gsellman | Swarzak | Sewald.

June 5, 2018
New York Mets – Anthony Swarzak will be activated from the disabled list today, giving the Mets a badly needed late inning option. Look for him to enter the mix for holds relatively quickly.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | Gsellman | Swarzak.

May 31, 2018
New York Mets — Robert Gsellman got the gsave Wednesday night, but that was because Mickey Callaway used Jeurys Familia against the top of the Braves’ order in the eighth. This is the kind of unorthodox bullpen strategy that Callaway promised in spring training, and shouldn’t be misread as a hierarchy gshift.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Gsellman | Lugo.

May 27, 2018
New York Mets — The struggles continued for AJ Ramos on Saturday.  He entered the game in the fifth inning with the Mets down just one, but he gave up three runs and could not even finish the inning.  It’s hard to imagine the Mets using Ramos in any meaningful innings anytime soon.  Look for Seth Lugo to take his place in the 7th and 8th inning.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | Gsellman | Lugo.

May 25, 2018
New York Mets — Jeurys Familia has received the dreaded “vote of confidence” — though we believe this one — from manager Mickey Callaway, who says he has no plans to remove Familia from the closer’s role. Familia blew the save Wednesday and leads the majors with four such blunders, but he also has a 2.35 ERA with 28 Ks in 23 innings, so it’s not like he’s been terrible.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Gsellman | Ramos. 

May 21, 2018
New York Mets – Rather than use Jeurys Familia for the third straight day, the Mets left Robert Gsellman in for the 9th inning after he’d gotten the final two outs of the 8th. Gsellman converted the gsave, and has surpassed AJ Ramos as the most likely man to get an opportunity when Familia is unavailable. Given Ramos’s control problems thus far (10 BBs in 16.2 innings), he might have fallen behind Seth Lugo as well.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | Gsellman | Ramos. 

April 9, 2018
New York Mets – Jacob Rhame picked up his first career save on Sunday night, pitching a scoreless bottom of the 12th inning after the Mets took the lead. Jeurys Familia threw 1.2 innings on Saturday and was being given the night off.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Ramos | Gsellman.

April 4, 2018
New York Mets – Anthony Swarzak officially hit the DL on Tuesday. Seth Lugo, who was supposed to make his first start of the season this week, pitched out of the bullpen on Tuesday and earned a hold. However, with Lugo likely to return to the rotation, we like Robert Gsellman to see some more high-leverage work while Swarzak recovers from his injury.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | Ramos | Gsellman.

April 1, 2018
New York Mets – Anthony Swarzak left yesterday’s game with a sore left oblique.  Swarzak is optimistic that this is not something serious, but he will likely miss some time.  Look for Robert Gsellman to see more time in the later innings if Swarzak is placed on the disabled list.

Hierarchy Remains: Familia | Ramos | Swarzak.

March 29, 2018
New York Mets – Pitching coach Dave Eiland said yesterday that Jeurys Familia will serve as the team’s primary closer. There was talk earlier in the spring that the Mets might take a mix-and-match approach in the final innings — and Eiland said they still may occasionally use Familia before the 9th — but right now, it seems that he’s got the full-time gig, or close to it. We’re removing his asterisk.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | Ramos | Swarzak.

February 28, 2018
New York Mets – The Mets have been hinting that they may employ a closer-by-committee approach, with new manager Mickey Callaway promising a more progressive usage of both his starters and relievers. So for now we’ll start them off with the dreaded asterisk, though our feeling is that Jeurys Familia is still likely to get the vast majority of save opportunities. AJ Ramos, acquired in the middle of last season, is the clear handcuff given his past experience, while offseason acquisition Anthony Swarzak will be the 7th inning man. Jerry Blevins, likely the only lefty in the Mets bullpen, should again be among the league leaders in appearances and is a good candidate for cheap holds.

Starting 2018 hierarchy: *Familia | Ramos | Swarzak.
* = closer-by-committee
Holds candidates: Ramos | Swarzak | Blevins.

September 29, 2017
New York Mets – A.J. Ramos is listed as day-to-day with biceps tendinitis, but with so few games left in the season and the Mets out of contention, Ramos is probably done for the year.

Updated hierarchy: *Familia | Blevins | Sewald.
* = closer-by-committee

September 26, 2017
New York Mets – Jeurys Familia had a rocky outing (2 runs on 2 hits) in yesterday’s nightcap, but still managed to get the save, his second in the last four days. The Mets have every intention of going into 2018 with Familia as their closer, and so he’s probably a better bet for saves in the season’s final week than AJ Ramos. If you’re still fighting for saves and Familia is available, consider picking him up — though hang on to Ramos, too, if you have the space, as the Mets had previously expressed concern about using Familia in back to back games.

Updated hierarchy: *Familia | Ramos | Blevins.
* = closer-by-committee

September 23, 2017
New York Mets – When AJ Ramos struggled with a 1 run lead, the Mets went to Josh Smoker for one out before summoning Jeurys Familia for his first save opportunity since coming off the DL. He struck out Victor Robles to lock up his first save since May 5th. After the game Terry Collins said it was “nice to see” Familia back in the 9th inning, but did not say that Familia was the closer going forward. Familia has 4 straight scoreless appearances while Ramos has struggled recently, but this was still a 1 out save. We will keep an eye on the next save opportunity for the Mets, but for now Ramos still seems to have the inside track for the end of the season. Familia does make for a good speculative add at this point, as he could easily assume the closer role for the last week of the year.

Hierarchy remains: Ramos | Familia | Blevins.

September 8, 2017
New York Mets – Jeurys Familia pitched the 7th and 8th innings of a Mets victory yesterday, and while he’s been pretty dodgy since returning from the DL, we figure that this outing makes him the leading choice for a save chance on nights when AJ Ramos is unavailable.

Updated hierarchy: Ramos | Familia | Blevins.

August 30, 2017
New York Mets — Jeurys Familia’s second post-DL appearance went a lot smoother than his first one, as he struck out three, walked one and did not allow a hit in 1.2 innings of work with the Mets trailing by four. While it was low-leverage work, it was a promising sign for Terry Collins and the Mets that Familia appears to be shaking off any rust from his long layoff.

Hierarchy remains: Ramos | Blevins | Familia.

August 26, 2017
New York Mets — The Mets got Jeurys Familia back on Friday, and although Terry Collins mentioned that he wanted to get Familia in the game on Friday, he ended up using Blevins for the last out in the eighth and then A.J. Ramos for the save.  Ramos gave up a run on two hits and two walks last night, and while he will continue to close for now, Familia could work his way back into the closer’s role once he gets comfortable.

Updated hierarchy: Ramos | Blevins | Familia.

August 25, 2017
New York Mets –Jeurys Familia will be activated later today. Will he close right away? Terry Collins said for now, A.J. Ramos will stay in the closer’s spot. But it appears Familia will have the right to earn that spot back this season.

Hierarchy remains: Ramos | Blevins | Sewald.

August 17, 2017
New York Mets — Jeurys Familia made his first rehab appearance since having surgery in May, a scoreless inning for high-A St. Lucie.

Hierarchy remains: Ramos | Blevins | Sewald.

July 31, 2017
New York Mets – Addison Reed is headed to the Red Sox, pending medical evaluation, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. Joel Sherman has also confirmed. AJ Ramos takes over as closer for the Mets.

Updated hierarchy: Ramos | Blevins | Sewald.

July 29, 2017
New York Mets — Addison Reed’s days as a Met are numbered; the latest sign was the team’s acquisition of A.J. Ramos on Friday. Reed is a free agent at the end of the season, while Ramos is under team control through 2019 and could be a solid setup man for Jeurys Familia next season. Reed, who picked up his 19th save last night, will likely continue to close for the next few days. Familia recently began a throwing program, and manager Terry Collins said that he will be back this season. Expect another day or two of Reed, then a month or so of Ramos closing, before Familia finishes the year.

Updated hierarchy: Reed | Ramos | Blevins. 

July 22, 2017
New York Mets — With the Mets up four in the eighth, they turned to Erik Goeddel. He got himself into trouble, giving up a run and putting two men on, so in came Addison Reed. After a walk and a single, Reed was pulled for Jerry Blevins, who retired five straight to earn his first save of the year. Blevins’s solid performance should cement him in the role of Reed’s handcuff if the closer gets traded.

Hierarchy remains: Reed | Blevins | Sewald. 

July 9, 2017
New York Mets – Fernando Salas continued to struggle yesterday, as he gave up another run and pitched with the Mets losing.  It’s hard to imagine the Mets using Salas to protect any type of lead, but they don’t have a lot of other good options.  Paul Sewald has picked up a couple holds in July so we move him into Salas’s spot on the hierarchy.  Injured closer Jeurys Familia is expected to begin throwing during the All-Star break, but there is still no real time table for his return.

Updated hierarchy: Reed | Blevins | Sewald. 

June 12, 2017
New York Mets – Jerry Blevins has been the best reliever in the Mets bullpen all season, but we’ve been reluctant to move him to first in line because he’d mostly been pitching to lefties. But he got the full 8th inning yesterday, and will probably get similar looks going forward, mostly because the team doesn’t have another option.

Updated hierarchy: Reed | Blevins | Salas. 

May 30, 2017
New York Mets – Up by 2 runs in the 8th, the Mets summoned Paul Sewald to bridge the gap to Addison Reed, and Sewald responded with a perfect inning that included two strikeouts. Terry Collins had Jerry Blevins and Fernando Salas warming in case Sewald (20.1 IP, 24 Ks/4 BBs, 2.21 ERA) got into trouble, but the young righty may have seized the 8th inning with the strong outing.

Updated hierarchy: Reed | Sewald | Blevins.

May 24, 2017
New York Mets — The Mets demoted the struggling Hansel Robles to Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday. We expect that Fernando Salas, who has three holds over his last five appearances, will be the primary set-up man for Addison Reed. Salas pitched a perfect 1.1 innings to close out Tuesday’s 9-3 win.

Updated hierarchy: Reed | Salas | Blevins.

May 13, 2017
New York MetsOne tingling finger led to some precautionary tests and, 48 hours later, Jeurys Familia was having surgery to remove a blood clot near his right shoulder. Familia is expected to miss several months of action, reopening the door for Addison Reed to establish himself as New York’s closer. It will be a combination of Hansel Robles, Jerry Blevins, and Fernando Salas setting Reed up.

Hierarchy remains: Reed | Robles | Blevins.

May 12, 2017
New York Mets — Mets closer Jeurys Familia has an arterial clot in his throwing shoulder and will likely be out for a while, if not the rest of the season. According to the team, Familia will see Dr. Robert Thompson, who performed season-ending surgery to alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome on Mets starting pitcher Matt Harvey last season, on Friday for further tests and possibly surgery. Addison Reed will fill in while Familia is out, though don’t be surprised if the Mets go shopping.

Updated hierarchy: Reed | Robles | Blevins.

May 11, 2017
New York Mets — The Mets unexpectedly announced that Jeurys Familia has an arterial clot in his right shoulder and is being examined for potential surgery. Addison Reed should fill in while Familia gets treatment.

Updated hierarchy: Reed | Robles | Blevins.

April 30, 2017
New York Mets — Hansel Robles struck out four batters in 1.2 scoreless innings yesterday, and has been pitching well recently.  Meanwhile Fernando Salas has been struggling after getting off to a solid start, giving up six runs over his past four appearances.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | Reed | Robles.

April 29, 2017
New York Mets — Jeurys Familia pitched himself into trouble in his first save opportunity, loading the bases with three singles, up two in the ninth. Familia did strike out the next batter, but was pulled so lefty Josh Edgin could face Bryce Harper. Edgin got Harper to ground into a 1-2-3 double play, picking up his first save. Familia had a rough outing, but hopefully has worked through the rust.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Reed | Salas.

April 21, 2017
New York Mets — Jeurys Familia returned from his 15-game domestic-violence suspension and tossed a scoreless ninth inning Thursday for the Mets in a 6-4 loss. Manager Terry Collins planned to pitch Familia in a non-save situation Thursday, with the hope he’d return him to the role as early as Friday.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | Reed | Salas.

March 30, 2017
New York Mets — As expected, Jeurys Familia will miss the first 15 games of the year as a result of his offseason domestic violence arrest. Addison Reed will close during Familia’s suspension.

Updated hierarchy: Reed | Salas | Robles.

March 1, 2017
New York Mets — The Mets are preparing to start the season without Jeurys Familia, who is awaiting a likely suspension from MLB due to a domestic violence incident in the offseason. (Charges were dropped, but Jose Reyes got a 51-game suspension from MLB despite charges being dropped in his case.) Addison Reed will close in Familia’s absence, with Fernando Salas picking up the eighth inning. Our guess is that Familia misses about 30 games, but until MLB makes an official decision, we’ll leave him at the top of the hierarchy.

Starting 2017 hierarchy: Familia | Reed | Salas.
Holds candidates: Salas, Hansel Robles, Jerry Blevins.

September 24, 2016
New York Mets — Hansel Robles came in with two on and one out in the seventh, up two runs. He induced a double play, the Mets scored three more runs, and Robles finished out the last two innings to earn his first career save.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Reed | Salas.

September 19, 2016
New York Mets — Jeurys Familia and Addison Reed were both given the afternoon off on Sunday, so the Mets mixed-and-matched their way through the late innings, culminating in the second save of the season for Jerry Blevins. But even though both those saves have come in the last week, Blevins remains largely a LOOGY, and it’s unlikely he’d get the first crack at closing if Familia and Reed both went down suddenly.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Reed | Salas.

September 14, 2016
New York Mets — After the Mets regained a lead previously blown by Jeurys Familia, Fernando Salas got the first two outs of the 10th inning. With lefty Daniel Murphy at the plate, Terry Collins called upon LOOGY Jerry Blevins for the final out. Blevins struck Murphy out and picked up his first save since Sept. 11, 2012.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Reed | Salas.

September 2, 2016
New York Mets — Fernando Salas pitched in his first game for the Mets Thursday since being acquired from the Angels this week, retiring three of the four hitters he faced with his new team trailing 6-1. We’ll continue to monitor how Terry Collins uses him moving forward.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Reed | Salas.

September 1, 2016
New York Mets — We give the newly acquired Fernando Salas a slight edge over Jim Henderson, given Salas’s good performance since the All-Star break.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | Reed | Salas.

August 21, 2016
New York Mets – The Mets activated Jim Henderson on Saturday.  Hansel Robles has struggles recently and Jerry Blevins is more of a lefty specialist so we expect Henderson to return to his seventh inning role.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | Reed | Henderson.

August 16, 2016
New York Mets – While the Mets have had one of the most stable bullpens in the majors this year, the dog days of summer appear to be wearing out Hansel Robles. After posting a 0.00 ERA in 10 July appearances, Robles has struggled in August, giving up 8 runs and 5 walks in just 8.1 innings. Left-hander Jerry Blevins has pitched well all season and should be rewarded with more late-inning opportunities if Robles continues to struggle.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | Reed | Blevins.

July 29, 2016
New York Mets — After an unreal save-conversion streak in the regular season, Jeurys Familia has a new streak of blown saves after he blew his second chance in as many days in the Mets loss Thursday. Manager Terry Collins had been worried about Familia’s fatigue, but he still trotted his closer out there in the 9th despite telling reporters on Wednesday that Familia would be unavailable. Familia has now thrown 52 pitches over the last two days and has pitched in four out of the last five. To be fair, Familia told his manager he was available, but give him a break, Terry!

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Reed | Robles.

July 28, 2016
New York Mets — Pour one out for Jeurys Familia’s 52-game regular-season save streak, the third-longest in MLB history (behind Tom Gordon and Eric Gagne). Familia’s streak is survived by Zach Britton’s 34-game regular-season save streak, Tony Wolters’s five-game hitting streak, and Vin Scully’s 67-year streak of being awesome.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Reed | Robles.

July 23, 2016
New York Mets — Hansel Robles pitched a solid sixth and seventh to earn the win on Friday. Robles has seen his role expand in the New York bullpen, while Jerry Blevins has been used as more of a LOOGY.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | Reed | Robles.

June 22, 2016
New York Mets — Jim Henderson hit the DL Tuesday with right biceps tendinitis. Manager Terry Collins said that he will mix and match in the seventh, with Jerry Blevins picking up a hold in that inning on Tuesday. Blevins lowered his ERA to 1.45 with the clean outing and gets Henderson’s spot in the hierarchy for now.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | Reed | Blevins.

June 9, 2016
New York Mets — A timely double play helped Jeurys Familia overcome three walks to extend his franchise-record regular season save streak to 35.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Reed | Henderson.

June 1, 2016
New York Mets — Some guy named Noah Syndergaard earned his first regular-season hold for the Mets last night, breaking 100 mph on 9 of his 17 pitches. But let’s be honest; he’s no Jim Henderson.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Reed | Henderson.

May 30, 2016
New York Mets — Two consecutive rough outings have doubled Jeurys Familia’s ERA — he gave up a four-run lead on Friday and then allowed two go-ahead runs to score last night. He’s still actually perfect in save opportunities because neither of those were blown saves, and the Mets seem to think it’s not a mechanical issue. But Familia’s strikeout rates are down this season and a few more bad outings might open the door for Addison Reed.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Reed | Henderson.

May 23, 2016
New York Mets – Normal 8th inning man Addison Reed had pitched three days in a row, so the Mets turned to Jim Henderson to bridge the gap to Jeurys Familia. Henderson got the job done, nabbing his 8th hold of the year, and dropped his ERA to 3.00. With 22 Ks in 15 IPs thus far, the former closer might be worth a look in holds leagues.

Updatedhierarchy: Familia | Reed | Henderson.

April 28, 2016
New York Mets – As predicted in the Vulture Save Watch, Addison Reed picked up his first save of the year protecting a three-run lead. Hansel Robles took the 8th inning ahead of Reed, and he retired the heart of the Reds’ lineup while striking out two. Robles has been taking the 7th inning recently, and while Jim Henderson has been solid in the early going, Robles has gotten the higher-leverage situations of late.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | Reed | Robles.

April 6, 2016
New York Mets – Jim Henderson, who had last appeared in the majors on May 1, 2014, threw a perfect seventh inning with two strikeouts in a 2-0 win over the Royals. Manager Terry Collins said he doesn’t want to overuse Henderson, but you can expect to see him take the mound more frequently in the seventh inning.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | Reed | Henderson.

March 2, 2016
New York Mets – Jeurys Familia came out of nowhere last season to post one of the most dominant seasons in the majors, and he enters 2016 as a top ten closer. His handcuffs are a little unclear, due to Jenrry Mejia becoming the first player to be permanently banned from MLB after testing positive for PEDs for the third time — for those tracking at home, that’s just one fewer than the number of companies that Donald Trump has bankrupted. (**After our Democratic primary joke on Monday, we’ve now fulfilled our obligation to make jokes about both political parties. Please don’t rage-unsubscribe. Thank you.**) But in all likelihood, the 8th inning will be handled by Addison Reed, who recaptured some of his form after joining the Mets late in the year. Antonio Bastardo, Hansel Robles, and Jerry Blevins will be tasked with getting the ball to Reed and Familia.

Starting 2016 hierarchy: Familia | Reed | Bastardo.
Holds candidates: Reed, Bastardo, Robles. 

September 19, 2015
New York Mets — Tyler Clippard tweaked his back during batting practice, so Addison Reed got the eighth inning against the Yankees on Friday night. After the game, Clippard told the press that he expects to be available Saturday.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Clippard | Reed.

September 14, 2015
New York Mets – With Jeurys Familia and Tyler Clippard getting the night off, Addison Reed picked up his first save since June 15, pitching a scoreless 10th inning. Reed has now pitched eight scoreless innings as a Met.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Clippard | Reed.

September 12, 2015
New York Mets — With Hansel Robles in the Dominican Republic for his grandfather’s funeral, the Mets turned to former Diamondbacks closer Addison Reed in the seventh inning of a one-run game. Reed, who has a 0.00 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in seven appearances as a Met, struck out the side. Robles has been excellent, but Reed has experience that the team might value even more down the stretch.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | Clippard | Reed.

August 27, 2015
New York Mets — Tyler Clippard collected his second save with the Mets last night when he recorded the final out of the eighth inning and stayed on for a 1-2-3 ninth after the Mets tacked on three runs to extend their advantage to five.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Clippard | Robles.

August 24, 2015
New York Mets – Hansel Robles pitched the ninth inning in a 4-run game on Sunday, which is more relevant than usual since Terry Collins was treating almost any lead as a save situation in the Mets’ first two games at Coors Field — Tyler Clippard and Jeurys Familia had both pitched in 5-run games on Friday and Saturday. Robles has earned the trust of Collins as of late, and going forward, look for him to share the 7th inning with Logan Verrett, who earned a prominent place in the bullpen after his masterful spot start yesterday.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | Clippard | Robles.

August 16, 2015
New York Mets – Carlos Torres pitched a perfect seventh inning in a tie game yesterday.  Torres has given up zero earned runs over his last eleven innings, picking up two wins during that time.  Meanwhile, Bobby Parnell took the loss on Thursday after he gave up three hits and two runs without recording an out.  Parnell has only one strikeout versus four walks in her last 4.1 innings and it will be hard for the Mets to trust him in tight situations with those type of numbers.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | Clippard | Torres.

August 3, 2015
New York Mets – Tyler Clippard picked up his first save as a Met on Sunday night, pitching a scoreless 9th inning. As mentioned in yesterday’s Vulture Save Watch, Jeurys Familia had pitched in three straight.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Clippard | Parnell.

July 31, 2015
New York Mets — What’s wrong with Jeurys Familia? He has been dynamite all season, but since the All-Star Break, he’s allowed 6 ER in 5.1 IP and blown two saves. He took the loss Thursday, yielding three hits, including a three-run bomb to Justin Upton. (In a roundabout way, maybe he’s showing the Mets they need to trade for Upton.) In other news, new Met Tyler Clippard picked up his first hold for New York, working a scoreless eighth inning.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Clippard | Parnell. 

July 29, 2015
New York Mets – Tyler Clippard made his Mets debut on Tuesday and recorded the final three outs of a 4-0 win. His addition came at the perfect time for the Mets, as Jenrry Mejia was suspended for 162 games due to PED use. This means that Bobby Parnell will get the majority of the seventh-inning holds going forward.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | Clippard | Parnell. 

July 27, 2015
New York Mets – The Mets’ acquisition of Tyler Clippard won’t displace Jeurys Familia, who has been one of the best closers in the game this year. It will, however, cut into hold opportunities for Jenrry Mejia and Bobby Parnell, as Clippard figures to be the 8th inning guy going forward. On the off chance that the playoffs matter in your fantasy league, know that the Mets likely made this move because they know they won’t have Mejia should they make it to October — he’s barred from postseason play this year as part of his earlier PED suspension.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | Clippard | Mejia. 

July 7, 2015
New York Mets — Jenrry Mejia returns from his 80-game Stanozolol suspension today; although he won’t challenge Jeurys Familia for the closer role, he should get his share of later-inning work.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | Parnell | Mejia.

July 6, 2015
New York Mets – Logan Verrett picked up a three-inning save in a blowout on Sunday. Verrett has been solid, but he remains a longshot for holds at this point.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Parnell | Robles.

June 30, 2015
New York Mets – A week from today, Jenrry Mejia will be eligible to return from his 80-game suspension. Given the uncertainty in the Mets bullpen behind Jeurys Familia, Mejia will likely be tapped for some late-inning work and could be a source of holds almost immediately.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Parnell | Robles.

June 26, 2015
New York Mets — Pitching for the first time in almost a full week, closer Jeurys Familia nailed down the save with a clean ninth inning. Familia had been battling groin tightness, but it appears his groin has loosened up a bit.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Parnell | Robles.

June 24, 2015
New York Mets — Although the Mets lost last night, Jeurys Familia was available to pitch if called on after leaving with an injury last week. Because they were behind, Familia wasn’t used, but Bobby Parnell did put up a scoreless third of an inning to keep his ERA at 0.00 on the season.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Parnell | Robles.

June 20, 2015
New York Mets — Jeurys Familia entered Friday night’s game with the team behind in the eighth, and exited with an apparent injury. After the game, Terry Collins called it a cramp, but Familia said it was “left groin tightness” that might keep him out for the next few days.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Parnell | Robles.

June 17, 2015
New York Mets — As predicted in the Vulture Save Watch, old friend Bobby Parnell got the call for the Mets on Tuesday, recording an impressive five-out save, his first since July 13, 2013. Jeurys Familia desperately needed a night off, and he may see another night of rest after throwing 87 pitches over the last six days.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Parnell | Robles.

June 14, 2015
New York Mets — With Jeurys Familia away from the team on paternity leave, the Mets were unable to hold a late inning lead.  Manager Terry Collins mentioned Bobby Parnell as an option to close while Familia is away, but instead used the righty to get the last out of the 8th inning.  Collins went with rookie Hansel Robles to start the 9th inning.   He got two outs but also gave up a run and left two runners on.  Lefty Alex Torres came on to try and get Freddie Freeman to end the game but instead gave up the game tying run.  Familia is clearly the closer when he comes back, but we will see if Collins actually gives Parnell a chance or if he goes back to Robles when Familia is not available.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | Parnell | Robles.

June 13, 2015
New York Mets — Terry Collins apparently bought Bobby Parnell’s explanation for minor league hitters teeing off on him at Binghamton and St. Lucie (.373 average against, one walk per inning); he plans to use Parnell if a save situation arises while Jeurys tends to his Familia on paternity leave.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | Parnell | C.Torres.

June 12, 2015
New York Mets — 14 months removed from Tommy John surgery, Bobby Parnell is finally back in the big leagues, albeit with diminished velocity. Parnell had been rehabbing for 30 days in the minors and, as a player with five years of major league experience, he had the right to veto an extended stay there. The Mets apparently didn’t ask him to stay on the farm, where he was torched for an 11.57 ERA in 14 innings between A and AA — an outcome he claims was the result of focusing on perfecting individual pitches during his outings. He’ll have to prove he can recapture his old form before he gets many high-leverage looks for the big club.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | C.Torres | Robles.

June 8, 2015
New York Mets – In a 2-run game, rookie Hansel Robles got the 8th inning for the Mets. Terry Collins had Jeurys Familia warming up for a long save if Robles got in any trouble, but the righty posted a perfect inning and picked up his third hold. Robles’s numbers aren’t great so far (4.97 ERA), but the advanced metrics think he’s been pretty solid and Collins has been giving him lots of high-leverage chances lately.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | C.Torres | Robles.

April 25, 2015
New York Mets — The Mets’ success is overshadowing their terrible luck with injuries — on Friday came news that Bobby Parnell’s minor league rehab would be shut down for a week because of forearm soreness. Parnell has been out for a year now after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | C.Torres | A.Torres.

April 20, 2015
New York Mets – Jerry Blevins broke his forearm fielding a comebacker on Sunday, and will likely miss at least the next month or two. Vic Black, meanwhile, had a setback in his recovery, meaning the Mets will have to rely on Alex Torres and Buddy Carlyle in the 7th inning going forward. Bobby Parnell can’t get back soon enough.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | C.Torres | A.Torres.

April 19, 2015
New York Mets — Alex Torres came on to get the last out of the 9th inning and record his first career save.  With Jeurys Familia and Jerry Blevins getting the night off, Carlos Torres made a mess of a 4 run lead to start the 9th.  He gave up three runs and had the tying run on first base before A. Torres struck out Christian Yelich to end the game.

Hierarchy Remains: Familia | C.Torres | Blevins.

April 18, 2015
New York Mets — The Mets sent Rafael Montero down to the minors to stretch him out for a planned spot start on April 28; if the outing goes well, Montero could challenge Dillon Gee for the fifth starter role. Manager Terry Collins used the move to advocate a new roster format that would allow teams to deactivate players, as in the NFL and NBA. Jerry Blevins, who got the eighth-inning hold in Thursday’s game, is in line for more high-leverage work.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | C.Torres | Blevins.

April 17, 2015
New York Mets — In a rehab outing for Class A St. Lucie, Bobby Parnell allowed two runs on two hits and a walk in one inning of work. If this outing is any indication, Parnell may have a long way to go. Original estimates had Parnell returning to the Mets sometime in May; assuming he gets his act together, he could return to the late-inning mix. In the meantime, Jeurys Familia continues to get the job done for the Mets. He recorded his fourth save in as many chances Thursday, closing the door on the Marlins with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | C.Torres | Montero.

April 16, 2015
New York Mets — If anybody was holding out hope that Jenrry Mejia would be a factor in the bullpen when he returns from his PED suspension, it may be time to cut ties with him. Mets GM Sandy Alderson said he isn’t even guaranteed a roster spot when he gets back, let alone a shot at the closer’s role.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | C.Torres | Montero.

April 12, 2015
New York Mets —  Jenrry Mejia has been suspended 80 games for testing positive for the performance-enhancing drug Stanozolol.  Manager Terry Collins said he was disappointed for the other guys on the team and David Wright expressed his frustration.  Familia should continue to close for now, but this could create a bigger opportunity for Bobby Parnell when he returns.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | C.Torres | Montero.

April 10, 2015
New York Mets — Pitching in a non-save situation Thursday, Jeurys Familia allowed two hits and a run in the ninth inning of the Mets’ 6-3 win. Manager Terry Collins said before the game Thursday that Familia would not be the team’s exclusive closer, but will be “the guy” once he “can get lefties out in certain situations.” Confusingly, Collins finished by saying, “Right now Jeurys is going to close.” In case you were wondering, lefties hit .293 against Familia last season, but the two hits he allowed Thursday were to righties (Ian Desmond and Reed Johnson). It’s safe to say Familia is still the guy until Mejia returns.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | C.Torres | Montero.

April 8, 2015
New York Mets – Jenrry Mejia was officially placed on the 15-day DL Tuesday. Jeurys Familia will be the go-to option for Terry Collins in the ninth for the time being.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Torres | Montero.

April 7, 2015
New York Mets – Jenrry Mejia experienced elbow stiffness in the Mets’ bullpen while warming up and never entered the game. Pitching coach Ricky Bones said that Mejia had the same expression on his face as when he hurt his elbow in 2011, when Bones was his coach in Buffalo. That injury required surgery. We will keep an eye on Mejia’s status, but for now, Jeurys Familia will get save opportunities, according to Terry Collins.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | Torres | Montero.

April 6, 2015
New York Mets – Jenrry Mejia hurt his elbow warming up for the 9th inning, and the Mets instead used Jerry Blevins and Buddy Carlyle to get the save. Mejia’s injury could be serious, and Jeurys Familia will close if he misses any time.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | Torres | Carlyle.

April 6, 2015
New York Mets – Vic Black, still fighting off a sore shoulder, will open the season on the disabled list. Black is expected to rejoin the team after the first road trip of the season, but in the meantime, Carlos Torres will pick up the slack.

Updated hierarchy: Mejia | Familia | Torres.

March 29, 2015
New York Mets
 — Bobby Parnell could be back for the Mets sooner than the original May 1st target date.  Parnell’s velocity has been down so far but he is not concerned by the radar gun readings as he works his way back.  Parnell could challenge Mejia for the closer’s job when he returns.

Hierarchy remains: Mejia | Familia | Black.

March 9, 2015
New York Mets – The Mets bullpen, an abject disaster for the first half of 2014 (Jose Valverde, Kyle Farnsworth, et al.), steadied itself down the stretch and could potentially be a team strength in 2015. They don’t have much in the way of lefthanded relief — Josh Edgin is the only reasonable option at the moment — but with Bobby Parnell returning to join Jenrry Mejia, Jeurys Familia, and Vic Black, the Mets have got four hard-throwing righties who will jockey to hold down the late innings. Mejia will start the year as closer, though Terry Collins turned some heads when he said that the closer job is Parnell’s to lose once he returns. This strikes us as a bit odd, since Mejia had a solid, albeit up-and-down year (56.1 IPs, 2.72 ERA, 60 Ks, 21 BBs, 4 HRs) after being moved to the bullpen in May, and amassed almost as many saves (28) as Parnell has accumulated in his entire career (36). So we figure that Mejia holds the job into May and beyond if he starts out hot; otherwise, Parnell will get it back. Jeurys Familia, meanwhile, continues to look like the closer of the future.

Starting 2015 hierarchy: Mejia | Familia | Black.
Holds candidates: Familia, Edgin.

September 10, 2014
New York Mets — When Jenrry Mejia loaded the bases on two hits and a walk, Terry Collins used lefty Josh Edgin and set-up guy Jeurys Familia to nail down the win. With Vic Black returning from the disabled list and Familia outpitching Mejia down the stretch, the Mets closer remains firmly on the Hot Seat.

Updated hierarchy: Mejia | Familia | Black.

August 29, 2014
New York Mets – Vic Black was placed on the DL retroactive to Aug. 24 with a herniated disk in his neck. Daisuke Matsuzaka would’ve been our choice to replace him, but he had a rough return to the bigs on Thursday, giving up 3 runs in 0.2 innings. Until Matsuzaka sorts it out, we’ll go with swingman Carlos Torres for the 2nd in line spot for now. Torres has pitched 9.2 consecutive scoreless innings.

Updated hierarchy: Mejia | Familia | Torres.

August 21, 2014
New York Mets — Jenrry Mejia is running out of body parts to injure. On Wednesday, he added a stiff back to his hernia and sore calf, which is a sentence that I can’t believe I’m writing about a 24-year-old professional athlete. Jeurys Familia picked up the five-out save while Mejia convalesced. With the Mets off tomorrow, Mejia believes that he’ll be ready for Friday’s game in LA, but this has gone far enough for us to speculate that Familia will close in 2015 (if not before), while Mejia moves to West Palm Beach and starts going everywhere on an electric scooter.

Hierarchy remains: Mejia | Familia | Black.

August 12, 2014
New York Mets – Jenrry Mejia, battling both a sore calf and a hernia injury, had the day off on Monday. Jeurys Familia picked up the vulture save in his stead, but Mejia is expected to be available on Tuesday. He’ll remain on the Hot Seat for now, since his status can change after each appearance he makes.

Hierarchy remains: Mejia | Familia | Black.

August 11, 2014
New York Mets – Jenrry Mejia blew the save and took the loss on Sunday, and after the game, revealed that he is battling both a sore calf (which we knew about) and a hernia injury (which we didn’t know about). Given this information, we’ll move Mejia to the Hot Seat, partly because Jeurys Familia has been so good, but mostly because it’s likely that the Mets will shut Mejia down if he’s not effective in attempting to pitch through these two injuries.

Hierarchy remains: Mejia | Familia | Black.
Jenrry Mejia to Hot Seat.

August 10, 2014
New York Mets – Jeurys Familia recorded his second save of the season last night.  Regular closer Jenrry Mejia has been battling a sore calf muscle and, after pitching through it two nights in a row, he was given the night off on Saturday.

Hierarchy remains: Mejia | Familia | Black.

August 8, 2014
New York Mets – Jenrry Mejia pitched a scoreless 12th inning on Thursday but couldn’t return for the 13th because of a balky hamstring. Mejia said he’d be fine, but if his injury is more serious than he’s letting on, Jeurys Familia would be in line for saves.

Hierarchy remains: Mejia | Familia | Black.

July 16, 2014
New York Mets – The Mets have been hot lately, and they won’t trade any of the young bullpen arms that have been so surprisingly effective. TRADE DEADLINE BUY/SELL: None.

June 19, 2014
New York Mets — Terry Collins pulled closer Jenrry Mejia with two outs and a man on in the ninth to gain a platoon advantage against streaking lefthander Matt Adams. Journeyman Dana Eveland induced a groundout and earned his first save in nine years. This is the sort of flexible, open-minded, matchup-based approach to the ninth that should be celebrated from a manager. Unless you’re a Mejia owner, in which case Terry Collins is a real jobbernowl.

Hierarchy remains: Mejia | Familia | Black.

June 16, 2014
New York Mets – Prior to Sunday’s game, there was talk of a disabled list stint for Jenrry Mejia.  But when the late innings rolled around, Mejia proved himself healthy, picking up a rare 2-inning save in a 2-run game.  Jeurys Familia’s two-day stint at closer is at an end.

Hierarchy remains: Mejia | Familia | Black.

June 14, 2014
New York Mets — The Mets do not expect closer Jenrry Mejia to need a DL stint after he had an MRI on his back on Friday.  However, Mejia is still expected to miss a few more days.  Familia pitched the 9th in a 4 run game last night and should see any save opportunities while Mejia is sidelined.

Hierarchy remains: Mejia | Familia | Black.

June 13, 2014
New York Mets — Jenrry Mejia was pulled from the game in the eleventh inning on Thursday with what the Mets later explained was back stiffness. Mejia has been injury-prone in his career; we should know more about the seriousness of this situation soon.

Hierarchy remains: Mejia | Familia | Black.

June 12, 2014
New York Mets — Vic Black appears to have nosed ahead of Carlos Torres in the New York bullpen.

Updated hierarchy: Mejia | Familia | Black.

June 1, 2014
New York Mets — Carlos Torres picked up the save in the 14th inning yesterday.  Also, despite pitching in the 8th inning yesterday and getting a hold, Daisuke Matsuzaka will no longer factor into the Mets late inning bullpen plans as he is being moved to the starting rotation.

Updated hierarchy: Mejia | Familia | Torres.

May 29, 2014
New York Mets — As predicted in Wednesday’s Vulture Save Watch, Jeurys Familia picked up his first career save in a five-out, one-hit outing on Wednesday. To add to the fun, manager Terry Collins said that he will “have to” consider giving Familia some save opps going forward. Despite Collins’ praise, Jenrry Mejia has thrown 9.1 scoreless innings since his move to the bullpen and appears to have locked up the ninth inning. However, if Mejia struggles or is unavailable, Familia is now certainly secure as the handcuff.

Hierarchy remains: Mejia | Familia | Matsuzaka.

May 28, 2014
New York Mets — After Jenrry Mejia took to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon and proclaimed he was “very comfortable” with the closer role, Terry Collins tested that resolve with a two-inning, 37-pitch slog against the Pirates. Mejia earned the save and, no doubt, a day off. Vic Black made his return appearance in the sixth with the score tied, escaping a bases-loaded jam with a strikeout of ex-Met Ike Davis. Black stayed on for the seventh and earned the win, and is poised to move into our hierarchy whenever Terry Collins decides to utilize Dice-K elsewhere.

Hierarchy remains: Mejia | Familia | Matsuzaka.

May 27, 2014
New York Mets — They say that if you love something, you should let it go; apparently, the Mets have a thing for mediocre relievers on the high side of 35. On the heels of turning Kyle Farnsworth into Inigo Montoya, New York axed Jose Valverde on Monday for giving up four runs in two-thirds of an inning. Even after his successful spot start on Sunday, Dice-K still appears to be the next guy up in the bullpen — but if Vic Black, freshly recalled from AAA, can improve his command, the Mets might be able to leave thirtysomethings behind them for good.

Updated hierarchy: Mejia | Familia | Matsuzaka.

May 26, 2014
New York Mets – When Terry Collins started talking about Jenrry Mejia and Jeurys Familia in the back of the New York bullpen, we thought he’d turned a corner and was finally going to commit to the good young arms that had been developed in the Mets farm system. And while we can at least be grateful that Mejia has stuck, it seems Collins is still going to use Jose Valverde — arguably the worst pitcher in the Mets’ pen — as Mejia’s backup. On Friday, Collins said that Valverde would be his closer since Mejia was unavailable, and followed it up by saying the same thing between games during Sunday’s doubleheader. Weirdly, he still went to Mejia in game two on Sunday after saying he wouldn’t, but Papa Grande now appears to be the handcuff.

Updated hierarchy: Mejia | Valverde | Familia.

May 23, 2014
New York Mets – The 9th inning in New York suddenly seems like a pretty solid proposition, as Jenrry Mejia has now pitched 5.1 scoreless innings (6 Ks, 0 BBs) since his move to the bullpen, including his first back-to-back appearances on Wednesday and Thursday. But after that, it’s hard to figure anything out. Would-be set-up man Jeurys Familia has a 2.38 ERA in May, but he was summoned in the 5th inning a few days back. (This, just a week or so after Terry Collins said Familia was about to win the closer gig.) And instead, last night, it was Daisuke Matsuzaka who got the 8th inning hold. Matsuzaka isn’t an ideal reliever by any means; astoundingly, he has walked at least one batter in 14 of his 17 appearances. But perhaps even more astoundingly, he’s managed to post an ERA of 2.14 thus far, and his strikeout rate is higher than it ever was when he was a starter (24 Ks in 21 innings).

Updated hierarchy: Mejia | Familia | Matsuzaka.

May 18, 2014
New York Mets – Jenrry Mejia recorded his first career save yesterday, working around a leadoff single and striking out 2 batters.  The Mets are grooming Mejia to be their closer but they are still not sure that he can pitch on back to back days.  Until he proves he can, the Mets will have to use a committee to close out games when Mejia is unavailable.

Hierarchy remains: Mejia | Familia | Valverde.

May 16, 2014
New York Mets – After several beat writers suggested that his repertoire would be perfect for the 9th inning, Jenrry Mejia was moved to the bullpen last week. But when the Mets transitioned to a closer by committee, Terry Collins named nearly everyone in the bullpen except Mejia as potential 9th inning options. However, an impressive appearance in Yankee Stadium seems to have changed Collins’s mind, and before Thursday’s game, he declared that Mejia would be his closer for the evening, emphasizing that the role would change on a nightly basis. (Someone different will likely be the closer tonight, as Mejia isn’t conditioned to pitch in back to back games yet, said Collins.) Still, this is a good development for the New York bullpen, as Mejia is one of the few pitchers back there — along with Jeurys Familia — who has good enough raw stuff to seize the 9th inning role for himself. On the merits of Collins’s comments yesterday, we’ll bump Mejia to the top of the hierarchy, with the understanding that this is still very much a committee.

Updated hierarchy: Mejia | Familia | Valverde.

May 14, 2014
New York Mets — Kyle Farnsworth was released by the Mets on Wednesday in a bizarre, cost-cutting move, two days after he picked up a save against the Yankees. Collins promised a closer committee, and we think Jeurys Familia is the best-positioned of that bunch, followed by Jose Valverde. We’ll leave Jenrry Mejia ahead of Daisuke Matsuzaka for now, as his potential is much higher.

Hierarchy change: Familia | Valverde | Mejia.

May 14, 2014
New York Mets — If you woke up this morning wishing for another ill-defined closer committee, you owe Terry Collins a thank-you note. Kyle Farnsworth is the putative head of a motley crew that also includes Jose Valverde, Jeurys Familia, and Daisuke Matsuzaka — although Dice-K’s 3.2 IP on Tuesday are likely to keep him on the sidelines for a few days. Jenrry Mejia is not yet a candidate to close, according to Collins, but his “swing-and-miss stuff” could change that quickly going forward. As committees go, this one is more Aging than Intelligence.

Hierarchy remains: Farnsworth | Familia | Mejia.

May 13, 2014
New York MetsJenrry Mejia was moved to the bullpen prior to Monday’s game and he made an immediate impact, picking up the win in 1.1 innings over work. Mejia retired the only batter he faced in the seventh inning  and allowed just two hits in the eighth after the Mets regained the lead. If he continues to pitch this way, he may quickly move up the depth chart. Hierarchy change: Jenrry Mejia to 2nd in line, replacing Daisuke Matsuzaka.

May 12, 2014
New York Mets – On the heels of another strong outing by Jeurys Familia, manager Terry Collins is getting close to giving the young righty the keys to the 9th inning, saying after Sunday’s game that “he’s real close” to winning the job from a struggling Kyle Farnsworth. This assertion comes as a bit of a surprise, as Collins has had a tendency to value experience in the 9th inning, especially this year, when he gave Jose Valverde, Farnsworth, and Daisuke Matsuzaka chances in the 9th inning before allowing either Familia or Gonzalez Germen a crack at closing. But for Familia, at least, that appears to be changing. Hierarchy change: Jeurys Familia to Set-up, Daisuke Matsuzaka to 2nd in line.

April 25, 2014
New York Mets – Kyle Farnsworth had the day off yesterday, and Terry Collins proved he wasn’t kidding when he said Daisuke Matsuzaka could be an option to close games.  Matsuzaka recorded his first career save last night.  Carlos Torres has been pitching very well in the 8th and it looks like this could be one of those situations where the manager would rather not mess with his 8th inning guy.  Dice K should continue to get the call when Farnsworth is not available.  Hierarchy change: Daisuke Matsuzaka to Set-up, Carlos Torres to 2nd in line.

April 24, 2014
New York Mets — Terry Collins sent Mets fans into a tizzy with Wednesday’s offhand comment that Daisuke Matsuzaka was a potential option to close games. Instead, the faithful were treated to classic Farnsworth: three hits, and the tying run thrown out at the plate. A 94 MPH fastball on the last pitch to Matt Holliday may assuage concerns about the closer’s health, at least. No hierarchy change.

April 20, 2014
New York Mets – Kyle Farnsworth will close for the Mets for the time being, announced Terry Collins on Sunday morning.  Collins had hinted last night that Jose Valverde was finished, and made it official this morning.  Carlos Torres and Gonzalez Germen figure to get looks if Farnsworth struggles.  Hierarchy change: Kyle Farnsworth to Closer, Carlos Torres to Set-up, Gonzalez Germen to 2nd in line.

April 20, 2014
New York Mets – Another disastrous outing from Jose Valverde, in which he stymied a potential Mets comeback by allowing a 3-run HR, has Terry Collins thinking about making a change at closer.  If they do make a move, the best in-house option is Kyle Farnsworth, with Carlos Torres and Gonzalez Germen also potentially in the mix.  Free agent Joel Hanrahan, who the Mets recently scouted, is a possibility as well.  Jose Valverde to Hot Seat.

April 11, 2014
New York Mets – Carlos Torres came on in a tie game in the 6th inning on Thursday night, then stayed on for the 7th after the Mets took the lead.  Torres would go on to earn the win, striking out 3 in his 2 innings of work.  Hierarchy change: Carlos Torres to 2nd in line, replacing Gonzalez Germen.

April 7, 2014
New York Mets – Bobby Parnell will have Tommy John surgery and will miss the remainder of the 2014 season.  As previously mentioned, Jose Valverde will close for the foreseeable future, while Kyle Farnsworth is the best bet to step in if Valverde falters.  No hierarchy change.

April 5, 2014
New York Mets — Jose Valverde picked up his first save of the season and it was Kyle Farnsworth who pitched the 8th ahead of him.  The Mets back end of their bullpen is far from set, outside of Valverde, but if Farnsworth can string together a couple good outings he could solidify himself in the set-up role.  Hierarchy change: Kyle Farnsworth to Set-up, Gonzalez Germen to 2nd in line

April 4, 2014
New York Mets — Jeurys Familia and Scott Rice each got smacked around on Thursday and, combined, they’ve retired precisely as many batters as they’ve allowed to score. Gonzalez Germen may have been the last reliever to make the team, but he’s been pretty effective, and we think he’d get the call over Familia, Rice, and Kyle Farnsworth if Jose Valverde falters. This is far from a theoretical exercise, as doctors have told Bobby Parnell he has only a 50-50 shot of avoiding surgeryHierarchy change: Gonzalez Germen to Set-Up, Jeurys Familia to 2nd in line.

April 1, 2014
New York Mets — Bobby Parnell’s diminished velocity led to a blown save on Opening Day. After he complained of forearm tightness, an examination revealed a partially torn medial collateral ligament in his throwing arm. Parnell, who received a platelet-rich plasma injection, will rest for at least two weeks, then begin a throwing program to determine if surgery will be necessary. Hierarchy change: Jose Valverde to Closer, Jeurys Familia to Set-Up, Scott Rice to 2nd in line, Bobby Parnell to DL.

March 23, 2014
New York Mets — Kyle Farnsworth is not expected to make the Mets roster.  Jose Valverde has closer experience and manager Terry Collins has been impressed with him so far so he could handle the set-up role.  Vic Black pitched well for the Mets at the end of last season and should also see time in the later innings.  Another guy to keep an eye on is Jeurys Familia.  Familia is young flame-thrower who recently broke catcher Taylor Teagarden’s glove with a fastball in spring training.  Hierarchy change: Jose Valverde to Set-up, Vic Black to 2nd in line

March 13, 2014
New York Mets — Bobby Parnell pitched well last year, but he’s coming off September neck surgery that caused him to lose 30 pounds. We’ll see how long Terry Collins’s “warm feeling” lasts. Ranked #24 in our preseason closer rankings.

March 11, 2014
New York Mets — Pencil a healthy Bobby Parnell into the closer’s role, but after that, things get messy in Flushing. Young Vic Black received a vote of confidence at the end of 2013, but in the offseason, the team signed two aging ex-closers: Jose Valverde and Kyle Farnsworth. Neither veteran is a lock to make the roster out of spring training, but with Terry Collins’s affinity for experience in the late innings, we see Valverde and Francisco with an (undeserved) edge over Black and Gonzalez Germen. Starting 2014 hierarchy: Closer — Bobby Parnell; Set-up — Kyle Farnsworth; 2nd in line — Jose Valverde.

September 25, 2013
New York Mets — With LaTroy Hawkins tired and unavailable, Vic Black got the call for his first major league save on Tuesday night. No hierarchy change.

September 23, 2013
New York Mets – Vic Black got the call in the 8th inning for the second straight night, and though he allowed a run, he held the lead and bridged the gap to LaTroy Hawkins.  The hard-throwing righty keeps racking up stats, as he’s now picked up four holds in the last two weeks, and he’s now certainly in the conversation for saves on nights when Hawkins is unavailable.  Hierarchy change: Vic Black to Set-up, Frank Francisco to 2nd in line.

September 21, 2013
New York Mets — The Mets used Vic Black in the 8th inning with a 2 run lead last night.  Black, who the Mets got from the Pirates in the Marlon Byrd deal, now has 2 wins and 3 holds in his last five appearances. Hierarchy change: Vic Black to 2nd in line, replacing Gonzalez Germen.

September 9, 2013
New York Mets – Frank Francisco, written off by the Mets earlier this year, actually got healthy enough to make a return to the bigs, just in time to try and prove to everyone that he can still get a few outs so he can get a new contract somewhere this offseason.  The Mets are likely determined to get at least a few innings out of the expensive, chair-throwing, would-be closer, and they actually sent him out in his first outing to get the last 2 outs of the 8th inning in a one run game.  With Gonzalez Germen struggling in recent weeks, Francisco might actually be the best bet for saves on nights when LaTroy Hawkins is unavailable.  Hierarchy change: Frank Francisco to Set-up, Gonzalez Germen to 2nd in line.

August 31, 2013
New York Mets – Bobby Parnell is likely done for the season.  LaTroy Hawkins should continue to be the primary closer for the Mets, but Gonzalez Germen could see a couple save opportunities down the stretch as well.  No hierarchy change.

August 30, 2013
New York Mets – The Mets don’t necessarily see Gonzalez Germen as a closer, but they think he could develop into a strong set-up man, and might start giving him a few 9th inning opportunities, to get him used to pitching in pressure spots.  Unless LaTroy Hawkins has a few more meltdowns like the one last weekend, he probably won’t challenge for the full time job, but he could be good for a save or two over the next few weeks.  No hierarchy change.

August 18, 2013
New York Mets — David Aardsma finally got into a game, but it was to pitch the fourth and fifth innings after the starter got hurt. This may have just been because he was the best-rested option, but we’ll continue to watch whether he has truly fallen out of favor at the back end of the Mets’ bullpen. No hierarchy change.

August 16, 2013
New York Mets — As expected LaTroy Hawkins was given the night off on Thursday.  However, the Mets did not go with David Aardsma, even though he hasn’t pitched since Sunday.  Young right-hander Gonzalez Germen picked up his first career save, pitching a scoreless eighth and ninth with 3 Ks.  Hierarchy change: Gonzalez Germen to Set-up, David Aardsma to 2nd in line.

August 15, 2013
New York Mets — We’re not even going to make a joke about poor LaTroy Hawkins, who took a comebacker to the groin, gave up a game-tying home run, and was feeling the effects well after the game. Ouch. Wear your cup, kids. No hierarchy change.

August 7, 2013
New York Mets — Although LaTroy Hawkins is best-positioned to pick up saves in Bobby Parnell’s absence, Terry Collins plans to use a committee of sorts, which will apparently include every reliever on the team except Scott Atchison. The lefty most likely to pick up a matchup-based save is Scott Rice. Hierarchy change: Scott Rice to 2nd in line, replacing Scott Atchison.

August 6, 2013
New York Mets – With Bobby Parnell on the DL, the first Mets save went to LaTroy Hawkins, who pitched a scoreless 9th.  David Aardsma got a save opp over the weekend, but blew it, and gave up the go-ahead run in extra innings the following night, so given Hawkins’s success tonight, the ageless righty is the best bet for the bulk of saves in the Mets bullpen.  Hierarchy change: LaTroy Hawkins to Closer, David Aardsma to Set-up.

August 5, 2013
New York Mets – Bobby Parnell is likely to be placed on the disabled list, retroactive to last week.  David Aardsma has gotten the save chances so far in his absence, while LaTroy Hawkins also has an outside shot at earning saves.  Hierarchy change: David Aardsma to Closer, LaTroy Hawkins to Set-up, Scott Atchison to 2nd in line, Bobby Parnell to DL.

August 3, 2013
New York Mets – With Bobby Parnell unavailable last night, the Mets went with David Aardsma in the 9th.  Unfortunately for the Mets, Aardsma was unable to get the job done.  Bobby Parnell will be unavailable on Saturday as well and even though he blew his first opportunity, we would not be surprised if the Mets gave Aardsma another shot.  Hierarchy change: David Aardsma to Set-up, LaTroy Hawkins to 2nd in line.

July 18, 2013
New York Mets – The Mets claim they will need to be “blown away” to trade Bobby Parnell, but even if they remember that he’s Bobby Parnell and change their mind, his value is unlikely to drastically change. Any team who goes to the trouble to pry him away from Queens will probably use him to close. TRADE DEADLINE BUY/SELL: None.

July 6, 2013
New York Mets – Josh Edgin picked up the save last night.  He got the last out in the 8th inning and then stayed on to finish the game after the Mets added three runs in the top of the 9th.  No hierarchy change.

July 1, 2013
New York Mets – A few days ago, Brandon Lyon was in line to get any Mets save opportunities on nights Bobby Parnell was unavailable, but two horrendous outings against the Nationals may have dropped him off the hierarchy altogether.  On Friday, Lyon gave up a game-tying three-run double, and on Sunday, he gave up 6 earned runs in just 0.2 innings.  David Aardsma has been pitching well (1.80 ERA), but despite his recent closing experience, he hasn’t seized the set-up role yet.  For the time being, non-Parnell save opps will likely go to LaTroy Hawkins, who pitched the 9th in a four-run Mets win on Saturday.  Hierarchy change: LaTroy Hawkins to Set-up, replacing Brandon Lyon.

June 9, 2013
New York Mets – After a solid stint in AAA, David Aardsma was called up to the bigs and pitched a scoreless inning in the Mets marathon 20-inning loss on Saturday.  Given his past experience in the 9th, a couple good outings in a row could position him for an opportunity when Bobby Parnell needs a night off.  Hierarchy change: David Aardsma to 2nd in line, replacing Scott Rice.

May 31, 2013
New York Mets – Though he’s been sabermetrically terrifying all season, Scott Rice has been real-world effective for the Mets as their go-to late-innings lefty.  Until his walk rate catches up to him, Rice would probably be the man for the save if the Mets were facing a lefty-heavy ninth inning and Bobby Parnell were unavailable.  Also in Mets news, Frank Francisco was transferred to the 60-day DL and may have thrown his last pitch as a Met.  Hierarchy change: Scott Rice to 2nd in line, replacing LaTroy Hawkins.

May 17, 2013
New York Mets – With five straight scoreless outings — the fifth of which came last night in the 8th inning — Brandon Lyon has worked his way back into relevancy in the beleaguered Mets bullpen.  LaTroy Hawkins is headed in the other direction, having given up runs in his last three appearances.  Hierarchy change: Brandon Lyon to Set-up, LaTroy Hawkins to 2nd in line.

May 13, 2013
New York Mets – Scott Rice’s ratios have been ugly all season, but early on, he was at least getting outs.  His high walk rate has started to catch up to him though, and given that he has a tough time facing righties, it’s unlikely the Mets would go to him in a save spot unless they were playing matchups.  Veterans LaTroy Hawkins and Brandon Lyon are both more likely to get a 9th inning chance on nights when Bobby Parnell is unavailable.  Hierarchy change: LaTroy Hawkins to Set-up, Brandon Lyon to 2nd in line.

May 10, 2013
New York Mets – Up by 1 run in the 8th inning on Thursday, the Mets went to veteran LaTroy Hawkins for the high-leverage hold.  Hawkins surrendered a solo home run, but despite the blown save, the Mets may continue to use him in important late inning spots, as he’s become a reliable man in an otherwise-shaky bullpen.  Prior to yesterday, Hawkins (3.00 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 14 Ks, 0 BBs) had gone 10 straight appearances without allowing a run.  In other Mets news this week, manager Terry Collins said that Bobby Parnell would continue closing even after Frank Francisco’s return.  Hierarchy change: LaTroy Hawkins to 2nd in line, replacing Brandon Lyon.  Frank Francisco to Set-up (DL). 

May 4, 2013
New York Mets – Jeurys Familia got a 10th inning save after Parnell, Rice, and Lyon had already pitched. No hierarchy change.

April 24, 2013
New York Mets – In both of Bobby Parnell’s saves this year, Scott Rice was a competent 8th inning bridge. After Brandon Lyon’s debacle in the 7th inning of last night’s loss, we believe Rice will hold on to that position.  Hierarchy change: Scott Rice to Set-up, Brandon Lyon to 2nd in line.

April 20, 2013
New York Mets – The Mets went to Scott Rice in the eighth inning last night up 3 runs, and he responded by pitching a 1-2-3 inning.  Rice has made 6 straight scoreless appearances and should continue to be used late in games for the Mets.  Hierarchy change:  Scott Rice to 2nd in line, replacing Scott Atchison.

April 17, 2013
New York Mets – Josh Edgin was bombed in the fifth inning of yesterday’s nightcap, while Scott Atchison was quite effective in the seventh and eighth.  Hierarchy change: Scott Atchison to 2nd in line, replacing Josh Edgin.

March 7, 2013
New York Mets – Frank Francisco’s elbow inflammation will not be healed come opening day, Terry Collins said earlier this week.  “It’ll be Bobby [Parnell],” said Collins.  “And you know what?  He can take that job and run with it.”  Parnell has gotten several chances to “run with it” in the past and has never come through, but it sounds as if he’ll have the opportunity to keep the job if he performs well early on.  Hierarchy change: Bobby Parnell to Closer, Brandon Lyon to Set-up, Josh Edgin to 2nd in line.

February 24, 2013
New York Mets – Frank Francisco is recovering from an injury and may not be ready for the start of the season.  Bobby Parnell will close if Francisco doesn’t make it back in time.  Starting 2013 hierarchy: Closer- Frank Francisco, Set-up- Bobby Parnell, 2nd in line- Brandon Lyon.

September 28, 2012
New York Mets – Bobby Parnell just picked up his 6th save of the season. Earlier today, the Mets said that Parnell would close for the last week of the season, so he might be good for one or two more save chances. Hierarchy change: Bobby Parnell to Closer, Jon Rauch to Set-up.

September 28, 2012
New York Mets – After Jon Rauch gave up a 2-run HR in the 9th inning on Thursday, Bobby Parnell got the last two outs for his fifth save of the season. With Frank Francisco likely done for the year, Rauch and Parnell will split opportunities in the season’s final week. No hierarchy change.

September 26, 2012
New York Mets – ESPN New York reported this morning that Frank Francisco is likely done for the year. Terry Collins said that Francisco was unable to play catch on Tuesday and that it was “getting near that point of no return.” Jon Rauch will close in his stead, and Bobby Parnell could also get a chance or two. Hierarchy change: Jon Rauch to Closer, Bobby Parnell to Set-up, Josh Edgin to 2nd in line.

September 23, 2012
New York Mets – Jon Rauch picked up a save on Saturday. Frank Francisco was reportedly available, but the Mets left Rauch in even after he allowed a HR. Francisco remains on the Hot Seat, which has basically been a second home for the Mets closer this year, but he hasn’t lost the job yet, as the Mets were probably just giving him an extra day to recover from a nagging injury that kept him out of a few games earlier this week. No hierarchy change.

August 19, 2012
New York Mets – Over his last 21 appearances- a 15-inning stretch- Jon Rauch has only given up one earned run. He finished off the 8th inning last night, and coupled with his two bail-out saves of Frank Francisco earlier this week, he’s moved past Bobby Parnell on the Mets depth chart. Hierarchy change: Jon Rauch to Set-up, Bobby Parnell to 2nd in line.

August 17, 2012
New York Mets – Jon Rauch again bailed out Frank Francisco in the 9th, retiring the only batter he faced for his third save of the season. Francisco remains on the Hot Seat, and could start losing save chances to Bobby Parnell if he doesn’t get his act together quick. No hierarchy change.

August 13, 2012
New York Mets – Jon Rauch picked up his second save of the season, bailing out both Josh Edgin and Frank Francisco, who couldn’t combine to get three outs in what was initially a blowout. The Mets have already said that Bobby Parnell could get some save opps while Francisco regains his strength, and this outing makes Parnell all the more appealing. Frank Francisco to Hot Seat.

August 3, 2012
New York Mets – Frank Francisco is expected to be activated from the DL today. Bobby Parnell has been OK, but not great, in his place, so Francisco should resume closing immediately. Hierarchy change: Frank Francisco to Closer, Bobby Parnell to Set-up, Jon Rauch to 2nd in line.

July 31, 2012
New York Mets – In a game with lots of bullpen ineptitude on both sides, Manny Acosta picked up a shaky save for the Mets in the 10th inning. Acosta does not fit in to the Mets usual late-inning plans; they’d already used all their top arms when they summoned him last night. No hierarchy change.

July 25, 2012
New York Mets – Pedro Beato was one of the Mets’ best relievers in 2011, but he started this year on the disabled list, and hasn’t been the same. After being called up two weeks ago, Beato has struggled and was sent back down on Tuesday. There is almost nothing to like about the Mets bullpen right now, but youngster Josh Edgin has been a bright spot as of late. He now has 13 Ks in just 7 innings after a 3-strikeout outing last night. Hierarchy change: Josh Edgin to 2nd in line, replacing Pedro Beato.

July 17, 2012
New York Mets – Frank Francisco had a setback in his rehab and will take a few days off before attempting to throw again. Bobby Parnell remains the team’s closer for the foreseeable future. No hierarchy change.

July 15, 2012
New York Mets – The Mets bullpen is a mess at the moment, but the recently returned Pedro Beato could help provide some stability. Beato was often used in the 8th inning last year, and could ease back in to a late inning role soon. Hierarchy change: Pedro Beato to 2nd in line, replacing Tim Byrdak.

July 12, 2012
New York Mets – The Mets may look to add an arm in the bullpen– Grant Balfour’s name has been bandied about– and that’s actually bad news for their current crop of relievers. Frank Francisco, due to return from the DL after the All Star Break, has been far from solid, and any new acquisition could push him for the closer’s job. TRADE DEADLINE: BUY: None. SELL: Frank Francisco.

June 25, 2012
New York Mets – Frank Francisco was placed on the DL on Sunday with a left oblique strain, and Terry Collins said that Bobby Parnell will get save chances until Francisco returns. Jon Rauch could see save opps if Parnell struggles. Hierarchy change: Bobby Parnell to Closer, Jon Rauch to Set-up, Tim Byrdak to 2nd in line, Frank Francisco to DL.

June 24, 2012
New York Mets – Frank Francisco was placed on the DL with a left oblique strain. Manager Terry Collins has said that Bobby Parnell will close while Francisco is out. Hierarchy change: Bobby Parnell to Closer, Jon Rauch to Set-up, Tim Byrdak to 2nd in line, Frank Francisco to DL.

June 5, 2012
New York Mets – Jon Rauch took the loss on Monday, surrendering a 2-run HR to Allen Craig, and after the game headed to the hospital for an elbow examination. At minimum, he’s again fallen behind Bobby Parnell on the Mets depth chart. Hierarchy change: Bobby Parnell to Set-up, Jon Rauch to 2nd in line.

May 30, 2012
New York Mets – After getting knocked around a bit in the middle of May, Jon Rauch has settled down, allowing just one run in his last six appearances. He pitched the 8th inning ahead of Frank Francisco yesterday; Bobby Parnell was used in the 7th. Hierarchy change: Jon Rauch to Set-up, Bobby Parnell to 2nd in line.

May 17, 2012
New York Mets – Three days ago, Jon Rauch was on the verge of being named the Mets new closer. But after last night’s meltdown (0.1 innings, 3 ERs), Rauch’s ERA has jumped to 9.00 for the month of May. Terry Collins will likely look to Bobby Parnell if Frank Francisco continues to falter. Hierarchy change: Bobby Parnell to Set-up, Jon Rauch to 2nd in line.

May 14, 2012
New York Mets – Frank Francisco blew another save on Sunday, allowing 3 runs without recording an out. His ERA ballooned to 8.56, and Terry Collins was noncommittal about the Mets’ closer role going forward, saying he would discuss it before Monday’s game. Even if Francisco keeps his job, he’ll remain firmly on the Hot Seat, but if Collins looks elsewhere, Jon Rauch should get the first chance. No hierarchy change.

May 12, 2012
New York Mets – Frank Francisco blew the save last night and took the loss. Jon Rauch has been pitching well and got the save when Francisco was unavailable on Tuesday. If Francisco continues to struggle Rauch could see more save opportunities. Frank Francisco to Hot Seat.

May 9, 2012
New York Mets – As noted in yesterday’s Vulture Save Watch, Frank Francisco had pitched on three consecutive nights, and Jon Rauch got the save in his absence. No hierarchy change.

May 1, 2012
New York Mets – Terry Collins indicated at the start of the season that Miguel Batista would be his man on any night that both Frank Francisco and Jon Rauch were unavailable. But Batista has consistently been the first man out of the bullpen for the Mets, and Bobby Parnell (3.38 ERA, 15/2 K/BB ratio) has been quietly solid. Hierarchy change: Bobby Parnell to 2nd in line, replacing Miguel Batista.

April 22, 2012
New York Mets – Frank Francisco has given up 6 runs in his last three appearances, and his ERA has ballooned to 8.53. Jon Rauch had to bail him out last night after he blew a save chance, and will be first in line for saves if Francisco continues to struggle. Frank Francisco to Hot Seat.

April 11, 2012
New York Mets- The Mets had an uneventful game, bullpen-wise, on Tuesday. However, earlier this week, Terry Collins surprisingly indicated that Miguel Batista would be his 9th inning man on any days when Frank Francisco and Jon Rauch are unavailable. Hierarchy change: Miguel Batista to 2nd in line, replacing Ramon Ramirez.

March 18, 2012
New York Mets- The Mets completely overhauled their bullpen in the offseason, acquiring three pitchers, Frank Francisco, Jon Rauch, and Ramon Ramirez, who they will immediately plug in to their late inning roles. Starting 2012 hierarchy: Closer- Frank Francisco, Set-up- Jon Rauch, 2nd in line- Ramon Ramirez.

Dec. 15, 2011
New York Mets- The Mets acquired Frank Francisco and Jon Rauch during the winter GM meetings, and Sandy Alderson has announced that Francisco will close, with Rauch setting up. Hierarchy change: Frank Francisco to Closer, Jon Rauch to Set-up, Bobby Parnell to 2nd in line.

Sept. 25, 2011
New York Mets- After Miguel Batista got in some trouble in the 8th inning, the Mets used Bobby Parnell to escape the jam, then summoned Manny Acosta in the 9th for his third save of the season. Parnell and Acosta are platooning at this point, though Parnell still should see the majority of the final week’s save chances. No hierarchy change.

Sept. 19, 2011
New York Mets- Manny Acosta picked up his 2nd save of the season after the struggling Bobby Parnell was used in the 8th. Parnell should still get the majority of the remaining save opps, but the ones that he doesn’t will likely go to Acosta, as Jason Isringhausen is on the shelf with a sore back. Hierarchy change: Manny Acosta to Set-up, Jason Isringhausen to 2nd in line.

Sept. 11, 2011
New York Mets- Bobby Parnell blew yet another save yesterday. With little to lose, the Mets are still likely to give him a few more save opportunities, but Parnell has already been sharing those chances with Jason Isringhausen and Manny Acosta, and he’s in danger of losing the lion’s share of 9th innings. Parnell to “Hot Seat.”

Sept. 8, 2011
New York Mets- With Bobby Parnell and Jason Isringhausen unavailable, Manny Acosta pitched the 9th inning to earn his first save of the season. No hierarchy change.

Sept. 7, 2011
New York Mets- Rookie Josh Stinson got the save in a 13th inning game last night. All the relievers above him on the depth chart had already pitched. No hierarchy change.

Sept. 1, 2011
New York Mets- Manny Acosta pitched the 7th inning last night and has been used in the late innings more often than Pedro Beato lately. Hierarchy change: Acosta to 2nd in line, replacing Beato.

Aug. 23, 2011
New York Mets- Mets manager Terry Collins initially hinted that Pedro Beato could get some opportunities to close, but now it’s pretty clearly just going to be shared between Bobby Parnell and Jason Isringhausen (with Parnell getting slightly more chances). Hierarchy change: Isringhausen to Set-Up, Beato to 2nd in line.

Aug. 17, 2011
New York Mets- Now that Jason Isringhausen has recorded his 300th career save, Terry Collins has said that the Bobby Parnell will close games for the remainder of the year. If he struggles, keep an eye on Pedro Beato. Hierarchy change: Parnell to Closer, Beato to Set-Up, Isringhausen to 2nd in line.