The Mets have shown interest in the 34-year-old left-handed reliever.
One of the main goals of the offseason for the Mets is to add another left-handed reliever to join Josh Edgin in the bullpen. According to Jon Morosi of Fox Sports, the Mets are interested in free agent Craig Breslow to fill that void. Breslow has been in the league for nine years, spending each of the past two seasons with the Red Sox.
After a stellar 2013 in Boston, Breslow experienced a down year in 2014. His ERA rose from 1.81 in 2013 to 5.96 in 2014, and he allowed close to two more walks per nine innings in 2014 than he did in the previous year. The 34-year-old Yale University product is not a strikeout machine. He relies on getting ground balls and pitching to contact for most of his outs.
In his career, Breslow has been adept at retiring lefties, shown by their .235/.302/.369 slash line against him. Righties don't seem to fare much better against him, either, as they have only posted a meager .234/.325/.355 slash line against him in his career. He may be able to be relied upon to retire more than one batter at a time, having more responsibility than a traditional "lefty specialist."
Breslow made just under $4 million in 2014. Coming off a down year, it doesn't seem as if he's due for a significantly higher salary, if any increase at all. He provides a cheap, cost-effective option for the Mets. Add him to the list of left-handed relievers on which the Mets should keep their eye.