How will Trevor Gott fit in Mets’ bullpen?

The Mets needed to do something to add a new look to a stale bullpen and they did just that on Monday, acquiring Trevor Gott from the Seattle Mariners.

A 30-year-old right-hander, Gott was having one of the best seasons in his pro career, posting a 1.75 ERA with 30 strikeouts compared to just six walks and zero home runs allowed over his first 27 appearances of the campaign (25.2 innings pitched).

But the wheels fell off as of late. After allowing just five earned runs during that sterling stretch, he was tagged for nine (eight earned) over his last three appearances — just 3.1 innings pitched — with two round-trippers and two walks yielded. It bumped his ERA up to a somewhat deceiving 4.03.

Regardless, the Mets see something in Gott that could help boost their bullpen and they re-acquired Chris Flexen only to eat his $4 million and designate him for assignment in the process.

“When a team comes and gets somebody, it means they want him,” Gott said (h/t SNY). “They took on quite a bit of money, which gives me confidence. Just go out and prove to them they made a good decision.”

But what exactly do the Mets see in him?

His fastball velocity (18th) and spin (16th) are toward the bottom of MLB’s percentile rankings, per Baseball Savant. His 36% chase rate and 48% whiff rate aren’t all that impressive either as in he’s not making opposing batters miss.

But Gott has been able to do what other Mets relievers have had such difficulty doing this season: Throw strikes and avoid the big blow. 

His walk rate is in the 81st percentile of MLB pitchers while the three barrels he’s yielded all season ranks in the 94th percentile. 

Much of that success has been predicated on his secondary pitches. His cutter, which averages 88.6 mph, has opposing batters hitting .229 off it this year as 15 of his 32 strikeouts have been recorded with the pitch.

Of the 191 cutters he’s thrown this season, 33 have been put into play and just 11 of those have been for hits.

A seldom-used curveball has shown some promise despite being thrown just 25 times this season. Averaging just over 80 mph, opposing hitters batting just .222 against it with the very same slugging percentage.

Those should be his bread and butter in New York considering his four-seam fastball is being hit at a .304 clip and his sinker is at .281. 

He should get a chance to perform opposite southpaw Brooks Raley as a right-handed seventh-inning option to start. Should he succeed, eighth-inning opportunities could be in his near future as well considering how Adam Ottavino has lacked the consistency needed for those responsibilities. 

For more on Trevor Gott and the Mets, visit AMNY.com