How Dedniel Nunez Could Impact David Stearns' Offseason Plans

The New York Mets are trying to finish the 2026 season strong to set the stage for a much better 2027 campaign. While there is still some intrigue for the final week of the season, a lot of the next six days will be used by players to try and solidify their positions on the 2027 roster.

One area of significant opportunity is in the bullpen, where the only player surely penciled in for next year's unit is closer Devin Williams. The Mets have been without Williams for a few weeks as he works his way back from a right shoulder strain, which has given several other relievers a chance to make their cases for important 2027 roles.

While Kodai Senga and Daniel Duarte have drawn the attention of most fans due to their work at the back end of the bullpen, one player who has flown under the radar is righty Dedniel Nunez. The Mets had high hopes for Nunez in 2024, when he emerged as a potential setup option before a second Tommy John surgery last summer.

Nunez opted for the interior brace option, which allowed him to return in just over a calendar year, and he has pitched well for the Mets down the stretch. In 16 appearances so far this season. Nunez is 1-1 with a 3.71 ERA and 1.00 WHIP, striking out 15 batters in 17 innings pitched without issuing a single walk.

How Dedniel Nunez could help the 2027 Mets' bullpen

Those numbers are strong ones for Nunez, particularly in terms of command. The fact that Nunez hasn't walked a batter in a significant sample size is impactful, since several of the Mets' other prominent relievers have had issues with walks this year.

Building a functional bullpen requires at least five relievers you can trust in key situations, and Nunez is showing that the form he displayed in his breakout 2024 campaign wasn't a fluke. The fact that Nunez should have one minor league option left after this season could also make him a valuable chess piece for David Stearns, who likes having the ability to swap out relievers to keep fresh arms in his bullpen at all times.

There is a world where the Mets could look at their 2027 bullpen and see a base of Williams, Senga, Duarte, Nate Lavender, Nunez, and the returning Reed Garrett to build on. The back four of that group, as well as others like Jonathan Pintaro and Jefry Yan, all have options that would give Stearns the flexibility to sign two relievers while allowing the rest to compete for jobs in spring training.

The upshot with Nunez is that he has a safe middle-relief floor with the potential to be a setup man if he is on his game. The further Nunez gets from Tommy John surgery, the more comfortable he should become trusting his stuff, which could give the Mets a very valuable reliever under team control for three more years.

There will be a lot of work for Stearns to handle in the offseason, including adding at least two starting pitchers and improving his first base situation. Nunez, along with the emergence of other relievers, means that Stearns should have significantly less work to do to rebuild that unit in the offseason.