Help is on the way.
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The New York Mets acquired right-hander Fernando Salas from the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night in a trade for minor league right-hander Erik Manoah. Last year, Salas posted a 6.17 SO/BB rate to profile as one of the better control artists among relief pitchers in baseball. With injuries sidelining relievers Huston Street and Cam Bedrosian, Salas had been serving as Mike Scioscia’s closer of late, converting four saves since August 16. In seven big league seasons, Salas owns a 3.72 ERA.
Fernando Salas was a free agent after this season, so the Halos just flipped him to a contender for a young prospect, and yet another Dipoto pickup has been cast away. Since debuting as an 18-year-old in the Gulf Coast League, Manoah has pitched to a 5.13 ERA across 151 professional innings.
Manoah, 20, has not advanced past Class A since being drafted in 2014. In 12 starts at Short Season A-Ball, Manoah is 5-5 with a 5.37 record.
The Mets have gotten tremendous work from the back-end of their bullpen, with Jeurys Familia, Addison Reed, and Hansel Robles being stellar for the majority of the season.
The inclusion of Gsellman and Lugo in the rotation likely means more pitches thrown by the bullpen in the middle innings of games, and that’s where Salas comes in.
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The newest Met owned a sub-2.00 ERA in mid-May, but has struggled mightily since.
