The Mets’ bullpen was solid, if unspectacular, in 2021

Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images Over the past decade of two, Mets bullpens have generally been very bad. Since the start of the 2012 season, Mets relievers have combined for a 4.20 ERA over the course of nearly five thousand innings, the fifth-worst ERA in all of baseball. There have been a couple of good years sprinkled in, but it’s a part of the team that has been a significant issue for a long time.

So the fact that the Mets finished the 2021 season with a 3.90 ERA that ranked ninth-best in baseball is something of an accomplishment. Only one bullpen finished the regular season with a sub-3.00 ERA—the Giants—and only two other teams finished below 3.50. Given the context, the bullpen was…