Mets Should Take Flier on Former Cardinals' Closer

The New York Mets could potentially take a flier on this former St. Louis Cardinals' closer.

Aug 26, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Giovanny Gallegos (65) pitches in the seventh inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies won 12-1. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports / John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports

Now that the trade deadline has came and went, the New York Mets can still try to improve their bullpen down the stretch.

While internal options such as Tylor Megill and/or top prospect Brandon Sproat could come into play, there is a veteran arm that just became a free agent, who could be a potential reclamation project.

The St. Louis Cardinals designated their former closer, Giovanny Gallegos, for assignment prior to the deadline. They were unable to trade him and he wound up opting to hit the open market instead of accepting a minor league assignment, as Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on Friday.

Gallegos was having a rough season in St. Louis, posting a 6.53 ERA and 1.65 WHIP in 20.2 innings. However, he did produce a 2.53 ERA in his final 10.2 innings with the Cardinals.

The 32-year-old comes along with some prior success as a closer, and this experience could help the Mets push for a postseason spot in the final two months of the regular season should they be able to fix him.

In his first deadline as president of baseball operations with the Mets, David Stearns brought in Phil Maton, Ryne Stanek, Huascar Brazoban and Tyler Zuber as 'pen reinforcements. Without making a big splash, which would've cost top prospects, Stearns was still able to upgrade what has been a shaky unit.

There is no guarantee that Gallegos can rediscover himself with the Mets or any other team. That being said, there is some upside there, so this is a move at least worth considering as a possible low-risk, high-reward deal.