Some relievers prefer to have a defined role coming out of the bullpen.
Trevor May is ready for anything.
“In terms of role, I’ve been very, very fluid in my mindset,” the Mets’ new relief weapon said Saturday from Port St. Lucie after throwing his first side session of spring training. “I feel like in this day and age, it’s really important to widen the situations that you think you might be in. I know that’s the way that I’m used.”
Last season with the Twins, the right-hander appeared in every inning at least once, except for the first and fourth. He knows that his ability to get strikeouts — he has punched out 153 batters in 113 innings over the last three seasons, to go with a 3.19 ERA — “are a big part of my job” and play a factor in which situations he will typically be coming into.
So May, who signed a two-year, $15.5 million deal in December to join the Mets’ bullpen, is entering camp with an open mind.
“I would not be surprised if I got some opportunities in the ninth this year, I would not be surprised if I got some opportunities in the fifth,” May said. “That’s what I’m sticking with and then as camp goes through and as we get into the season, it becomes pretty clear specifically what you’re trying to do.”
“But at the end of the day, I’m one of those guys that just looks you in the eyes and says, ‘Give me the ball, let’s get the job done.’ So if that manifests itself in a different way than I’m thinking now, I’ll adjust. That’s how it works.”
Manager Luis Rojas said he didn’t want to define bullpen roles too early — he did note he hoped to have most of his relievers able to throw two innings by the end of spring training — but is looking forward to having May at his disposal.
“He’s a monster as a reliever, with what he can do,” Rojas said. “This is a guy that profiles to pitch in high-leverage situations, if we could call it like that, and last-third of the game type of guy. … He’ll be a guy that will definitely stop any momentum that an opposing team can build.”
