March 23: As Spring Training draws closer to a conclusion and several spots in the Mets bullpen still up for grabs, a potential fit for the left side of their relief unit has suddenly become available.
The Rangers announced on Monday afternoon they’ve released LHP Joe Beimel. He is now a free agent.
Beimel signed a non-guaranteed major league deal with the Rangers in early March worth up to $1.5 million. But he had an awful camp for the Rangers, allowing 11 earned runs and 13 hits in only three innings over four outings in the Cactus League.
Still, Beimel, who will turn 38 on April 19, held lefties to a .188 average with a .504 OPS while with the Mariners last season, something which could still attract teams looking for left-handed relief options, such as the Mets. Although in his career, Beimel has held lefties to a more pedestrian .255 mark with a .706 OPS.
It’s not clear the Mets would be interested in Beimel right now, but it would make sense to take a look at him, given his most recent history against lefties. Yes, his camp was terrible with the Rangers, but the Mets don’t have many other options to turn to either internally or externally. A minor league deal would be logical, and he could always begin the year tuning up in extended camp or Las Vegas if they brought him in.
Its worth noting the Mets have had previous interest in Beimel, but didnt consider him this past winter, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post.
Update, March 24, 10:25 am: The Mets are unlikely to pursue Beimel, tweets Adam Rubin of ESPN New York.
To see my latest thoughts on the state of the left side of the bullpen, read this post.
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