The Mets have pretty much locked up their primary lefty arm in the bullpen in 2021- Aaron Loup. The question is, who will be Loup’s backup?

What The Mets Have

Main Lefty

Aaron Loup

Aaron Loup signed a 1-year, $3 million contract with the Mets entering the off-season. This automatically makes him the presumed lefty in the Mets bullpen, leaving questions as to who will be his support lefty behind him. There are many people in Mets camp that are fighting for that spot.

The Competition

• Daniel Zamora
• Jerry Blevins
• Mike Montgomery
• Tom Windle

Qualifications for Each

Daniel Zamora

Zamora, 27, has spent two seasons (2018, 2019) in the Major Leagues, both with the New York Mets. He has a career ERA of 4.08, with his rookie season in 2018 being his best. He threw to a 3.00 ERA that season in 16 appearances, with a 1.000 WHIP. Zamora had a clear drop-off in 2019, with a rise in ERA to 5.19, and a WHIP increase to 1.731. He has the experience with the Mets, and the potential to be a solid lefty, but will he be able to perform at the Major League level?

Jerry Blevins

Blevins, 37, is the oldest guy on this list, and also the most experienced. He has been in the Majors since 2007, and spent four years with the Mets (2015-2018). He pitched many important roles for the Mets in 2016-17, following the first year when he was injured. The lefty played a major part in the Mets bullpen in the 2016 Wild Card appearance year, being a dominant left-hander against both righties and lefties. He pitched to a 2.79 ERA that season, the second lowest of his career. The major question for Blevins is if he is still capable of being a Major League pitcher. He hasn’t played in the Bigs since 2019, after somewhat retiring from baseball to be a contributor to SNY. He decided to come out of retirement to be a potential bullpen piece for the Mets this year.

Mike Montgomery

Montgomery, 31, has been in the MLB since 2015. He has a career ERA of 3.84, and a WHIP of 1.346. He has bounced around to three teams so far in his brief career, and is looking to make one stick. His best season in the Majors came in 2016, where he had a 2.52 ERA. However, Montgomery has been very inconsistent his entire career. Spring training is going to be the deciding factor for a guy who may have a serious chance at that backup lefty role, considering how close this group is in terms of performance.

Tom Windle

Windle, 28, is probably the only name on this list that Mets fans don’t know. He has been a minor league reliever his entire career, and has never made it up to the MLB level. The Mets signed him this off-season to a minor league contract, with an invite to Spring Training. His best season in the minors was in 2013 with the Dodgers single-A affiliate, where he pitched to a 2.68 ERA. He has a minor-league ERA of 4.13, and is going to need to impress many people in order to raise himself to the Mets bullpen.

Who Has the Edge?

Personally, I think that nobody has a real edge right now. I think that the player with the best Spring Training takes home the position. I feel that Jerry Blevins may have the slight edge, because he has had more career success than the other three. However, I could also see the Mets deciding to not have a backup left-hander if nobody stands out during Spring Training.

Regardless, the Mets have a few options that need to work to bring themselves to the Opening Day roster. How they fill that spot will come over the next few weeks of Spring Training.

Photo Credit Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports