Edgin to have TJ Surgery; Do Mets Even Need Lefty Reliever?

The Mets announced Sunday that Josh Edgin will indeed need Tommy John surgery. The procedure will be performed this week and Edgin will miss the entire 2015 season. Mets universe is in a tizzy now because this leaves them without a lefty in the bullpen. But do they necessarily even need a lefty at all?

It certainly is nice to have diversity in the pen. But recently having a LOOGY (lefty one-out guy) is seen as a necessity. I have always thought that the whole lefty-lefty, righty-righty matchup thing was overrated. While there are certain pitchers who perform better or worse against batters on either side of the plate (and vice-versa), overall it should not make much of a difference. A good pitcher should be able to get a batter out regardless of which side of the plate they are standing.

Plus, just because a pitcher is a lefty does not mean he will be tougher on left-handed batters. And righties can be just as tough against lefties. For his career, lefties are hitting .198 against Edgin. But lefties are hitting just .200 against Vic Black, a righty. So maybe Black can fill in for Edgin.

And why is it always a lefty-lefty thing? Righties are hitting .307 against the righty Jenrry Mejia. Why isn’t anyone concerned about that?

The Mets have several lefties who are contending for a bullpen spot — Rule 5 guy Sean Gilmartin, Scott Rice and Dario Alvarez among them. None of them is particularly appealing. If they cannot distinguish themselves, it makes more sense to choose a competent righty rather than a mediocre lefty just for the sake of having one.