The Mets are staring at another offseason where the big swing could come first and leave the rest of the roster waiting. Much of the noise will center on Tarik Skubal, and if New York is the team that hands him a deal bigger than Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s record $325 million contract, there won’t be much room left to patch up the bullpen.
That’s where the $17 million plan comes in. If David Stearns wants to rebuild the relief corps for 2027 without blowing up the budget, there’s a clear path: add Jonathan Loaisiga, Brock Burke and Anthony Bender.
Loaisiga looks like the cleanest fit for the setup role after the Mets moved Luke Weaver at the deadline. He’s already familiar with New York, having spent parts of eight seasons with the Yankees, and he has a track record as a late-inning arm.
Tommy John surgery in 2024 knocked him off course, and his return in 2025 didn’t inspire much confidence. But last season with the Arizona Diamondbacks, he looked like a different pitcher.
In 67 innings, Loaisiga put up a 2.42 ERA with 48 strikeouts, a 2.88 FIP and a 1.03 WHIP. The changes behind that turnaround were obvious.
He cut his sinker usage by 22 percentage points and leaned more on four-seam fastballs and changeups. The velocity came back, too.
After his average sinker velocity dipped by 1.1 mph in 2025, he was back up to 97.9 mph with the pitch last season, much closer to his career norm.
The underlying numbers back it up. Baseball Savant had Loaisiga in at least the 92nd percentile in chase percentage (35.9%), hard-hit percentage (31.7%), ground ball percentage (55.8%) and walk percentage (5.0%). A two-year, $16 million deal, or $8 million annually, feels like the kind of move that makes too much sense.
Burke would give the Mets the left-handed answer they need. Andy Green needs someone he can trust against opposing teams’ best lefty bats, and in a division packed with names like Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Matt Olson, James Wood and C.J.
Abrams, that matters. Burke just turned in the best season of his six-year career, logging a 2.30 ERA over 74.1 innings with 74 strikeouts and a 1.26 WHIP.
What makes him especially appealing is that he wasn’t just good against lefties. He handled hitters from both sides.
Left-handers hit .195 with a .588 OPS against him, while right-handers managed only a .208 average and a .667 OPS. With Nate Lavender and Cionel Perez currently looking like the only viable left-handed bullpen options, Burke stands out as a strong value play.
Lavender should be on the Opening Day roster after posting a 1.66 ERA in 21.2 innings, but expecting that level to hold might be asking a lot. Perez still has to earn his spot.
Burke on a two-year, $12 million deal, or $6 million a year, is hard to ignore.
The last piece is a trade target: Anthony Bender of the Marlins. He brings a different look entirely, throwing from a near-sidearm angle and leaning on a sweeper and sinker 84% of the time.
That profile makes him especially tough on right-handed hitters, and the numbers show it. Against 81 right-handed batters last season, Bender held them to a .149 average and a .440 OPS.
Overall, he posted a 2.62 ERA with 41 strikeouts and a 0.96 WHIP in 34.1 innings. He’s also entering his final season of team control with Miami and is projected to earn $3.4 million in arbitration in 2027, according to MLB Trade Rumors.
The Marlins might keep him, but President of Baseball Operations Peter Bendix has shown that almost no player is off the table. And compared with trade targets like Trevor Megill, Bender likely wouldn’t cost nearly as much prospect capital.
If the Mets land those three arms, the bullpen picture for 2027 starts to look a lot different. Other options could include Dedniel Nunez, Tobias Myers, Austin Warren, Sean Manaea and Tylor Megill. For about $17 million in average annual value, New York could turn one of its biggest question marks into a real strength.
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