With three of their four moves at the MLB Trade Deadline, the Mets bolstered their bullpen. This was a necessary strategy for the team, as the bullpen, which had been so good for the first two months of the season (2.88 ERA) had fallen into a miasma of injuries and ineffectiveness over the past two (4.42 ERA).
This problem has been compounded by the Mets’ starters not going particularly deep into ballgames. This requires the bullpen to throw more innings than would be ideal, and also means that you’re burning through a fair number of pitchers every game.