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Earlier today, Mets manager Terry Collins named Addison Reed his setup man "right now, at this particular moment." The righty will be a key component of the bridge from the rotation to Jeurys Familia, one that seemingly has some quality depth in 2016.
Collins noted how well Reed performed after coming over from the Diamondbacks in a mid-season deal, saying "...he's got to be that eighth-inning guy. . . The way he pitched for us after we got him, he's the guy." Indeed, Reed proved a fantastic pickup on the cheap by Sandy Alderson and the Mets' front office. Reed struggled in 2014 and the first half of 2015 after moving from the White Sox to Arizona, running up a 4.23 ERA as his strikeouts trended down and his walks up.
His peripherals were still pretty strong, though, and the Mets sent two minor leaguers to Arizona for him. He rewarded them with 15.1 innings of 1.17 ERA ball, inducing more ground balls than at any time in his career and striking out more than a batter per nine innings. Of course, he also allowed five of seven inherited baserunners to score, so it wasn't all good for Reed. Though your typical small sample size caveats apply, and while he won't continue to post a 26.3% soft contact rate, he has had success in a late-inning role in the past. More time working on his slider with Dan Warthen can't hurt, either. If he struggles, Hansel Robles and Antonio Bastardo will be waiting.