Jul 25, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers relief pitcher Hoby Milner (41) during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Atlanta Braves at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

3 southpaw relievers Mets should target in free agency

Originally posted on New York Mets on SI | By Grant Young | Last updated Oct 31, 2025 2:00 PM ET

The New York Mets losing left-handed reliever A.J. Minter for the season because of a lat strain less than two months into the 2025 regular season sparked a lot of concern throughout the franchise.

For one, Minter was having a great start to the season, which was shown by his 1.64 ERA and .154 batting average against in 13 appearances. But even if Minter wasn't producing an All-Star caliber campaign, the fact that he was essentially the only left-handed reliever that the Mets had at that point made him even more valuable.

Then Minter went down, and New York spent the rest of the 2025 season scrambling to atone for what they lost with him sidelined. While they brought several southpaw bullpen pieces to the team (such as Gregory Soto, José Castillo, and Danny Young), none of these guys were reliable enough, and the Mets' lack of a dominant left-handed presence hampered them for the rest of the year.

Minter will be back on the Mets next season, but is expected to have to start the season on the IL. Therefore, it seems very likely that David Stearns and the rest of the front office will look to add more left-handed reliever depth this offseason.

Insiders List Three Potential Mets Left-Handed Reliever Targets

In an October 31 article, The Athletic MLB insiders Tim Britton and Will Sammon noted that free agents Danny Coulombe, Hoby Milner, and Caleb Ferguson would all seem to make sense as potential targets the Mets could try to sign this winter.

All three of these names make a ton of sense. New York was linked to Coulombe before this year's trade deadline, but addressed the left-handed bullpen role by acquiring Gregory Soto instead. Coulombe was ultimately traded from the Minnesota Twins to the Texas Rangers and finished the year with a 2.30 ERA.

DANNY COULOMBE GETS OUT OF THE JAM HOLY MOLY pic.twitter.com/LqYTZlhtbw
— Rangers Nation ⚾️ (@rangers__nation) August 2, 2025

Milner also finished the 2025 season with the Rangers, posting a 3.84 ERA in an impressive 73 appearances.

As for Caleb Ferguson, he produced a 3.58 ERA in 70 appearances for the Seattle Mariners during the 2025 regular season. But his struggles during the playoffs (he had a 16.88 ERA in three postseason appearances, including giving up three earned runs without recording an out against the Detroit Tigers on October 7) are what Mariners fans will surely remember.

Those postseason woes aside, Ferguson (along with Coulombe and Milner) should be at the top of the Mets' list when figuring out how to bolster the left-handed side of their bullpen heading into 2026.

This article first appeared on New York Mets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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