Relievers are imagined to have short memories, but Seth Lugo might be forgiven if he were reaching deep into his past.
The righty was drafted by the Mets within the thirty fourth round of the 2011 draft out of Centenary College in Louisiana, a Division III school. The lottery ticket improbably rose through the Mets’ system. He became a significant leaguer, debuting in 2016 as a swingman. He eventually found a house as a reliable reliever and has climbed the charts of all-time appearances by a Mets pitcher.
“That is all I’ve ever known,” Lugo said after the Mets’ Game 3, season-ending loss to the Padres, 6-0, within the wild-card round Sunday. He was asked about his memories, and his eyes flashed back, even when his mouth didn’t follow. “I’m not excellent with that type of stuff.”
On a Mets club with a sea of free agents, Lugo is less heralded than Jacob deGrom, Edwin Diaz and Brandon Nimmo but quietly worthwhile just the identical.
Lugo didn’t shed a tear, but his pauses betrayed his emotions. For seven seasons, Lugo has been a staple out of the bullpen and has appeared in 275 profession regular-season games, good for fifteenth all time by a Mets pitcher.
Until this 12 months, Lugo had never tasted the postseason, after which the Mets force-fed him. He recorded two outs — each strikeouts — within the seventh inning Sunday, when he was used for a 3rd straight game. He had recorded a one-out save Saturday and didn’t allow a run within the series.
After the loss, he kept his jersey on and returned to the Citi Field grass along with his family to take all of it in as a member of the house team for what might be the ultimate time.
At 32, Lugo will hit the open marketplace for the primary time, and he won’t be alone. Diaz headlines the Mets’ bullpen free agents, but Adam Ottavino, Trevor May, Joely Rodriguez and Trevor Williams are on the list, too.
Lugo said he would really like to return to the Mets but acknowledged the myriad unknowns.
“I don’t know. The long run’s a mystery. I’ve been with this organization for 12 years, so,” Lugo said, before trailing off. “That’s an extended time.”
Lugo has seen the changes within the organization, especially those that helped the Mets win 101 games this season. He credited the “teammates, coaching staff, as many recent people as they brought in” who helped the franchise appear to show a corner.
“It’s just great to be an element of something special,” Lugo said.