Mets’ deadline decisions following in footsteps of recent World Series champions

David Schoenfield of ESPN recently wrote about bullpen additions at the trade deadline helping set the Mets up for success in October baseball.

“With Diaz, Reed Garrett, Ryne Stanek and Brooks Raley already on the roster, this pen is now loaded. October baseball is a different game than the regular season: There are more days off, which makes it even easier to go heavy on the bullpen.”

While pitching has always been important in the postseason, the focus in recent years for champions has been on having an elite bullpen. Three of the last four champions have had amazing bullpens, which has become the norm for success in the playoffs.

The Los Angeles Dodgers proved last year, with starters sometimes not even going five innings, that a strong bullpen can carry a team in October. The Mets saw this used against them first-hand last year, with the Dodgers eliminating them in a bullpen game.

With the additions that New York made before the trade deadline, expect to see them following in those footsteps. If the Mets get four good innings out of a starting pitcher in the playoffs, they now have the weapons to be able to go to the bullpen and have a lot of confidence that they can win a game.

Whether it was intentional or not by David Stearns, New York has copied some recent champions who have had success in October because of an elite bullpen.