One of the biggest priorities for David Stearns and the Mets this offseason has been pitching.

While they weren’t able to land a big fish in the rotation, they did add a pair of low-cost, serviceable and intriguing middle-of-the-rotation arms in right-handers Luis Severino and Sean Manaea while also trading for right-hander Adrian Houser from the Milwaukee Brewers.

After the Manaea signing, SNY’s Andy Martino reported that the Mets were still considering adding a big bat to slot in behind Pete Alonso, but their main focus was picking up one or two reliable bullpen arms.

Stearns added one of those on Saturday night, bringing back right-hander Adam Ottavino on a one-year $4.5 million deal, though it’s still unclear if he’s looking to make another move or not.

With Ottavino back in the mix, though, here’s a look at how the Mets’ bullpen looks:

The Locks

CL Edwin Diaz
RHP Adam Ottavino
LHP Brooks Raley
RHP Jorge Lopez
RHP Drew Smith

Heading into spring training, the Mets have a solid trio of Diaz, Ottavino and Raley at the backend of their bullpen.

Diaz is back from the freak season-ending knee injury he suffered during last year’s World Baseball Classic, and he’ll certainly be ready to regain his spot as the top closer in all of baseball.

After a spectacular 2022 season in which he posted a 2.06 ERA, Ottavino took a bit of a step back last year, but he’s still a crafty, high-leverage set-up man who can close out games when needed.

Raley had some struggles with walks (10.6 percent BB rate) but he was otherwise terrific during his first year in the Big Apple, pitching to a 2.80 ERA while striking out 61 batters across 54 innings of work.

That trio is solid for first-year manager Carlos Mendoza, but there’s no denying he could use another high-leverage arm, and the Mets are hoping Jorge Lopez could step up to be that guy.

Lopez is coming off back-to-back rough seasons across three different teams, but he was an All-Star backend arm and pitched to a stellar 1.68 ERA with the Baltimore Orioles back in 2021.

He also pitched well under new Mets bullpen coach Joe Rosado with Team Puerto Rico at last year's WBC, so perhaps Rosado can help him regain some of that dominant form.

Lastly, Smith is coming off a bit of a rough campaign but he's also had his bright moments throughout his career, having pitched to a combined 2.89 ERA during the 2021-22 seasons.

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