Houston Astros could look into two Mets relievers for help
By Kyle Cardoza
Robert Gsellman
After shipping Jeurys Familia to Oakland, New York unofficially labeled Gsellman as the new closer. Though the Mets have several options, Gsellman earned experience earlier this season.
The Astros shouldn’t be completely fooled by the young gun’s numbers. While he has six blown saves this year, he also has five saves and nine holds.
Gsellman recently just turned 25, so he is old enough to be considered a prospect for most organizations. And like Lugo, his contract is completely team-friendly, as he won’t be a free agent until 2023.
The Mets will play with a 24-man roster today as Jeurys Familia has not yet technically been traded, but is unavailable to use. Robert Gsellman is the leading candidate to continue seeing save chances going forward, but he's likely unavailable today after yesterday's workload.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) July 21, 2018
Moreover, since Gsellman’s numbers aren’t too impressive, Houston may be able to obtain him for a bargain. But the only reason the Astros would have any interest in him is his flashes of dominance.
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When Gsellman debuted in the bigs two years ago, New York watched him post reliable stats across seven starts. He posted a 2.42 ERA with just one homer allowed and racked up 42 strikeouts across 44 1/3 innings.
Then he endured a frustrating sophomore slump. As a starter, he surrendered 17 home runs and compiled not nearly as many strikeouts as he did in 2016.
Hence, New York placed Gsellman in the pen, hoping he could turn around his young career at a crucial time. Though his numbers seem pedestrian, he’s shown how good he can be.
Nevertheless, he needs to be consistent. Throughout May and June, Gsellman blew up in back-to-back games multiple times. Yet, if fans take away his small amount of meltdowns, he looks like a solid reliever.
Of course, the same could be said about Ken Giles.
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But like Lugo, Gsellman can use some additional pitching help. Astros pitching coach Brent Strom is a perfect mentor for some of his caliber.