At the 2022 Winter Meetings, the Mets addressed the need for a left-handed reliever by trading for (then) 34-year old Brooks Raley from the Tampa Bay Rays for pitching prospect Keyshawn Askew. Raley, a former top prospect who reinvented himself as a bullpen specialist after a stint in the KBO, came over on a $4.5 million contract, with a $6.5 million player option for 2024, which the Mets have subsequently picked up this offseason.
Raley, in addition to being the Met’s primary lefty, was a more important piece of the bullpen than expected after the injury to Edwin Díaz in the World Baseball Classic, as he took on a higher percentage of high leverage innings due to Díaz’s absence.