The Mets’ search for bullpen help has the team at least exploring the high end of the market.
Tanner Scott, who is considered the top reliever on the free-agent market, recently spoke with team officials, a league source confirmed Tuesday.
Scott, 30, pitched to a 1.75 ERA with 22 saves in 72 appearances for the Marlins and Padres last season.
The left-hander would fill two needs for the Mets, who are without a proven lefty and could use another high-leverage arm to join Edwin Diaz.
The Mets’ returning relievers include Diaz, Reed Garrett, Jose Butto (who is also a starting rotation possibility) Sean Reid-Foley, Dedniel Nunez and Huascar Brazoban.
Both Reid-Foley and Nunez had injuries that removed them from the equation in the second half of last season.
Lefty Danny Young was effective for a stretch last season, but struggled later in the year.
The Mets have also added several relievers on minor league deals.
The Athletic first reported the Mets’ meeting with Scott.
The Mets have concentrated mostly on the starting lineup and rotation to this point, but the market remains filled with proven relievers.
Scott would likely require a multi-year contract, which is the kind of commitment president of baseball operations David Stearns avoided last winter in assembling a bullpen.
Stearns last offseason signed Jake Diekman, Jorge Lopez and Adam Ottavino as free-agent relievers.
From that group, only Ottavino lasted the full season with the club, and he spent much of it in a low-leverage role.
But Stearns reinvented the bullpen as the season progressed by trading for Phil Maton and Ryne Stanek, in particular.
Both veteran right-handers, who are free agents, helped cement the Mets’ bullpen during the team’s postseason run that ended with a loss to the Dodgers in Game 6 of the NLCS.
Besides Scott, the higher end of the relief market includes names such as Jeff Hoffman, David Robertson, Kenley Jansen, Kirby Yates and Carlos Estevez.
Proven lefties include Andrew Chafin and A.J. Minter.
Scott, last season, was MLB’s best at limiting exit velocity (84.3 mph on average), according to Statcast.
He averaged 97 mph with his four-seam fastball and supplemented it with a slider that produced a swing and miss 38.8 percent of the time.
Stearns has taken a conservative approach with the rotation, re-signing Sean Manaea and adding free agents Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes.
Scott, if signed, would become the team’s biggest pitching splash of this offseason.
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