Brooks Raley, A.J. Minter delivering as rare strength with their Mets tenures nearing likely end

MILWAUKEE — Brooks Raley counted down the minutes to the trade deadline in the visitors clubhouse in Kansas City three years ago, half expecting a call into the manager’s office to tell him he had been traded by the Mets. 

That call never occurred. 

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This time, the veteran lefty reliever, in the final year of his contract for a sputtering team, understands it makes more sense that he will be a former Mets pitcher by Aug. 3. 

Raley’s lefty cohort in the bullpen, A.J. Minter — who is also a free agent after this season — holds the same mindset: his days with the Mets are likely numbered. 

“This isn’t the ideal situation for the Mets and what we wanted to do here,” Raley said Tuesday at American Family Field. “But it’s also the reality of what’s to come.” 

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Together, Raley and Minter have given the Mets a top one-two combination from the left side in a bullpen that serves as a team strength. 

Raley, 38, entered the day with a 2.02 ERA in 40 appearances this season. He first arrived to the Mets in a trade with the Rays before the 2023 season and then re-signed with the club last year while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. 

Minter, 32, began play with a 1.80 ERA in 20 appearances this season. He signed a two-year contract worth $22 million with the club before last season, but was lost in April to a torn lat. He returned this season in May and has found success with a fastball that has averaged 92.9 mph — a drop from 94.5 mph last year. 

Minter, a former Braves reliever, noted this is the first time he’s been part of a trade deadline for a team that is selling. 

“I am going to keep doing my best until they tell me to go somewhere else,” Minter said. “Just keep going out there and performing for this team and go out there and win and see what happens.” 

Both relievers are enthralled by the idea of jumping into a pennant race in the next 1-2 weeks. 

“There’s that optimism and I think that is the goal of every player when they put on a uniform, no matter what uniform that is, to go compete for a championship,” Raley said. “I wish we had done more while I was here. I really didn’t get to do the 2024 [NLCS] run, rehabbing from surgery. I think all of us feel a certain amount of responsibility for not getting it done this year. But we are where we are.” 

Minter, who pitched for the 2021 World Series-winning Braves, has appeared in 20 postseason games. 

“It makes the grind of 162 games all worth it,” Minter said. “There’s no words to describe a postseason atmosphere, and that is the reason why we play this game. It’s exciting for that opportunity. At the same time, I am still a Met and it’s frustrating to see where this year has gone, and we try to look at what we could do better.” 

If these are Minter’s final days with the organization, what will be his memory of his tenure? 

“It’s been just sad,” he said. “The New York Mets have changed my life forever. Going into free agency, I wanted to compete and win a World Series here and I had full expectations of doing so, especially with the talent we have. I feel for this organization because they do everything they possibly can to win here, from the owner to the front office to the coaches to the players. They just want to win and you can see that and it’s just frustrating to not be able to deliver that to this fanbase.” 

Raley said he never expected to stay four seasons with the Mets. 

“But I think I have excelled at my position,” he said. “I think I have been really consistent, and this is one of the best, if not the best, division in baseball to play in. Citi Field, a special full ballpark and atmosphere. I have really enjoyed my time.”