The New York Mets, having already signed free agent outfielder Juan Soto to the largest contract ever this offseason, have reportedly met with All-Star free agent closer Tanner Scott.
According to Will Sammon of The Athletic, the Mets are looking to add one to two relievers to the bullpen, and they're starting at the top of the market.
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Scott, a free agent after recording 22 saves in 72 games last season for the Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres, is arguably the best reliever available in a free agent crop that includes Kenley Jansen, Carlos Estevez, Craig Kimbrel, Kirby Yates and Jeff Hoffman.
Scott, 30, is 31-24 with 55 saves in eight seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres. He was traded from Miami to San Diego in July in a deal that sent four prospects to the Marlins.
Unlike the other top-tier closers on the market, Scott throws left-handed and boasts a 97-mph fastball. His 32.7 percent whiff rate, 27.5 percent hard-hit rate, and 52 percent ground-ball percentage are all elite, according to Statcast.
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The Mets are set at closer, with right-hander Edwin Diaz entering year three of a five-year, $102 million contract. Diaz posted a 3.52 ERA and 20 saves in 50 appearances last season.
Diaz missed time last season with a shoulder injury, after missing all of 2023 with a knee injury he sustained in a postgame celebration with Puerto Rico at the World Baseball Classic.
Perhaps the Mets are wary of Diaz's history and are looking for a high-leverage reliever with closing experience as insurance.
As Sammon notes, meeting with Scott "doesn't mean the Mets will end up signing Scott or anyone else from that tier. The expectation is for the team to check out all segments of the relief market, including trades. But even for a club like the Mets, which checks in on many different players, it's notable that they'd hold at least some interest in the best option available."
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Beyond Diaz, the Mets' bullpen was not their strongsuit last season. As a group, Mets relievers posted a 4.03 ERA in 2024.
After reaching the National League Championship Series and losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Mets made the biggest splash of the offseason by signing Soto to a 15-year, $765 million contract.
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New York has also traded for center fielder Jose Siri, and signed pitchers Frankie Montas, Clay Holmes and Griffin Canning in free agency.
If nothing else, the Mets meeting with Scott is a sign that the slow market for relief pitching is about to pick up.
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