El Duque Would Bolster Mets' Pen

It comes down to risk vs. reward, and maximizing your assets. How much is gained by moving Maine or Perez to the bullpen? If the impact is minimal, the team must consider all of its options. For a rotation that averages rarely more than 6 innings per start, the value of the bullpen come October can't be overstated. And while the team's current streak of wins has everyone riding high, less than a month ago fans and management alike were in a panic over the state of the Mets' relief corp. The Mets' postseason prospects may have improved, but the likes of Aaron Sele, Guillermo Mota, and Scott Schoeneweis certainly have not. Even Pedro Feliciano and Aaron Heilman aren't the reliable rocks of a season ago, and one could argue that Heilman hasn't been the same pitcher since Yadier Molina's NLCS-winning home run last October. The Mets are going to need innings out of their bullpen if they're to make any sort of credible run in the playoffs, but it remains to be seen from where those innings will come. Though Billy Wagner has put up strong numbers (if uneven results) and Jorge Sosa has a 2.78 ERA since moving to the pen, it's tough to shake the feeling that the Mets are missing one more piece in that bullpen.