Addison Reed a major asset as Mets begin 2017 season

Not every trade the Mets have made over the past few years has been a win, but the deal Sandy Alderson struck for Addison Reed late in the 2015 season was one of the best. Even though it took place just a year-and-a-half ago, you might not even remember the pair of players traded to Arizona to get him: Miller Diaz and Matt Koch.

Upon his arrival in Queens, Reed was dominant, with a 1.17 ERA in 15.1 innings in the season’s final month. And last year, he solidified his status as a dependable late-inning reliever with a 1.97 ERA in 77. 2 innings, the grand majority of which came in a setup role in the eighth inning.

It’s hard to imagine what the Mets’ bullpen would look like going into this year without Reed. For the first fifteen games of the season, he’ll fill in as a more-than-capable substitute closer while Jeurys Familia serves his suspension. And when Familia returns, Reed will pair up with him as one of the better bullpen duos in the game.

The beginning of the season, particularly when the Mets are good, is no time to sweat what’s going to happen after it ends, but this is Reed’s last year under contract. Still just 28 years old, though, it would be nice to the Mets work out an extension with him sometime along the way. If not, simply watching him pitch will do just fine, especially if he keeps up what he’s done thus far in a Mets uniform.