After their second straight collapse in 2008, the New York Mets decided to make significant additions to their bullpen. J.J. Putz was supposed to be the anchor to Francisco Rodriguez to close out victories for the 2009 Mets.
Joe Smith was also dealt to the @Indians in '08, in a 3-team deal that sent JJ Putz to the @Mets. RETWEET for chance at a signed Putz ball! pic.twitter.com/6e9U7ZzUjh
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 31, 2017
Putz came to the Mets in a three-team deal with the Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Indians. The trade included the Mets shipping away Endy Chavez, Aaron Heilman, Joe Smith, and Jason Vargas. Putz was coming off rib and elbow injuries, which did not allow him to pitch as well as his 2007 All-Star season.
Injury Plagued Tenure
The Mets failed miserably with the trade because the bone spur in his elbow from the previous season came back to haunt him. Putz walks per nine, and strikeouts per nine changed so drastically that they ended up becoming the same number, 5.8. He struggled to find his velocity and control, which did not allow him to find any consistent success.
Putz only allowed runs in one of his first seven appearances but then pitched to a 6.45 ERA during his final 22 outings. He started to feel discomfort during May and ended up needing season-ending surgery in June. Putz’s lone rough season in New York took away from what was a steady period of bullpen success.
Subtracting his year with the Mets, Putz had a 2.60 ERA from 2005-2013. Even including the rough season in 2009, he still totals a 2.76 ERA. Despite the past resume, the Mets did not want to give Putz another shot to return. The following four seasons ended up being arguably the best of his career.