Should New York Mets Pursue Andrew Chafin?
Could the third time be the charm?
The New York Mets made two attempts last year, one in free agency and one at the trade deadline, to acquire left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin. Now, Chafin is available again after opting out of his deal with the Detroit Tigers.
So, should the Mets pursue Chafin in free agency?
The answer is absolutely. New York is coming off a season, in which their only southpaw in the bullpen was Joely Rodriguez. Chafin would not only give this unit a much-needed left-hander, but also a late-inning arm in relief.
The Mets are going to have to reconstruct their bullpen as a number of key names are set to become free agents including Edwin Diaz, Adam Ottavino, Seth Lugo and Trevor May.
Per SNY, the Mets are prioritizing bringing back Diaz, but they will still need to build out the rest of the 'pen even if they do retain their closer. Chafin can fulfill a role as a setup man, which would be a significant help if Ottavino, Lugo and/or May leaves.
Chafin, 32, posted another strong campaign in 2022, with a 2.83 ERA across 57.1 innings. Not only was the high-leverage reliever good against lefties (.233 average), but he was even better against righties (.214 average) last season.
The one catch with Chafin is that he declined a $6.5 million option with the Tigers, which means he is looking for a pay raise. The Mets have the money to sign him, but with several key players about to become free agents they might look to allocate these funds elsewhere.
Ignoring the money, the Mets could be on the verge of losing more than a few high-leverage bullpen arms. For that, Chafin makes a lot of sense for New York. We shall see if the third time's the charm.
Read More:
- Mets 'Prioritizing' Edwin Diaz, Brandon Nimmo in Free Agency
- Mets 'Absolutely' Want to Re-Sign Edwin Diaz
- Justin Turner Open to Mets Reunion
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