Comparing New York Mets and San Diego Padres Late-Inning Relievers

The New York Mets and San Diego Padres have made major moves at the trade deadline, acquiring elite late-inning relievers to bolster the back end of their bullpens. With both of these teams making big upgrades to their bullpen, which of them has the more lethal duo on the back end? 

San Diego Padres Additions 

The Padres made a blockbuster trade earlier today, acquiring Mason Miller from the Athletics. The Padres had to pay a hefty price to land Miller, as they had to give up shortstop prospect Leodalis De Vries to get the deal done. Miller instantly makes the Padres’ back end of the bullpen one of the most lethal in the National League. 

The San Diego Padres have a star-studded trio of Jason Adam, Robert Suarez, and Miller. The Padres have added one of the best closers in baseball on top of two relievers who were named All-Stars for the National League. Their bullpen is now elite, and from a depth perspective, it is deeper than the New York Mets’ bullpen. 

New York Mets additions

The New York Mets also made a big addition to their bullpen last night, acquiring Reliever Ryan Helsley from the St. Louis Cardinals. The Mets didn’t have to give up as much for Helsley as the San Diego Padres did for Mason Miller. New York gave up their eighth, 14th, and another unranked prospect for Helsley. 

Helsley and Edwin Diaz in the same bullpen is a scary thought for hitters. Two pitchers with very high velocity, and all of their pitches are elite. However, Helsley has control issues. If he operates as the setup man for New York, the Mets will be fine, but if he is asked to close some games, that could give Mets fans some nervous energy. Based on raw talent and stuff, it’s not crazy to see that the Mets are better than the Padres in that category. 

Last Thoughts

Which teams’ additions have made the best bullpen? As of now, it seems like the Padres. They had to pay much more to make it happen, but they have three elite relievers in their bullpen. The Mets’ bullpen is also fantastic, but a deep bullpen is better than a top-heavy one.