Revamped bullpen could lead Mets back to first place in NL East

Will the bullpen lead the New York Mets back to first in the National League East?

Aug 1, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Edwin Diaz (39) follows through on a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the tenth inning at Citi Field. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

It has not been a strong stretch for the New York Mets, who have lost eight of nine games and are getting set to face the hottest team in baseball.

After losing three series in a row, the Mets will now be heading on the road to face the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers were the first team in baseball to reach 70 wins, and they have been on an incredible run. In contrast, the Mets have been ice cold; their poor stretch has resulted in the see-saw battle with the Philadelphia Phillies continuing for first place in the National League East.

Read More: Why the Mets enter a pivotal series this weekend against Brewers

Even though the team has hit a rough patch, they did improve quite a bit at the trade deadline, and those acquisitions are already starting to pay dividends.

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the success of the new bullpen additions and the best-case scenario for the rest of the season, that they can use them to once again take back first place in the division.

“Going the rest of the season without giving up runs is wholly unrealistic, but if they continue to pitch well in setting the table for Edwin Díaz, the Mets might get back to mowing through the competition like they did during that 45-24 start to the season.”

Will the Bullpen Save New York?

Aug 1, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Ryan Helsley (56) follows through on a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the ninth inning at Citi Field. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

At the trade deadline, New York was able to complete a revamp of their bullpen and create one of the best units in the league. The additions of Gregory Soto, Tyler Rogers, and Ryan Helsley, along with Diaz as the closer, will be one to be feared for the rest of the campaign.

With the revamped bullpen showing some potential for excellence, this unit could have the ability to carry them down the stretch and back to the top of the division. Even though the team has lost a lot of games in their last 10 played, things can change quickly.

Ryan Helsley escapes trouble and strikes out three in the 9th! pic.twitter.com/iaMobnCVZr

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 2, 2025

While the bullpen can help turn things around, the Mets need both the starting rotation and the lineup to get going. The lineup had a particularly dreadful series against the Cleveland Guardians, totaling just nine runs in three games; furthermore, they were almost no-hit in the series finale.

Read More: Mets' offense reaches new low in series sweep to Guardians

If the Mets are going to go on one of the extended periods of success like they did to start the year, they will need all three phases to be on point.

Overall, even though the bullpen might not have been the team’s greatest strength to start the campaign, it has the potential to be now. With this being the time of year when it is important to have a strong bullpen, the Mets might get hot behind this talented group.