When it comes to deciding the final composition of their Opening Day bullpen, the Mets still have some work to do. With a few bullpen spots claimed by sure-thing major league pitchers, at least one or two spots are still up for grabs, and the team has a bunch of pitchers—most of them without options remaining—trying to claim one.
Enter Phil Bickford, a 28-year-old right-handed pitcher traded to the Mets by the Dodgers at the deadline last summer. On the Los Angeles side, it was simply a matter of a roster crunch, and from the Mets’ perspective, the team was getting an intriguing arm that might fit into its bullpen mix.