Mets' Tobias Myers is just fine in role of swingman, long reliever

"It wasn't easy for us [to navigate the pitching last year]. We had seven closers last year, right? And it was hard, especially when you weren't getting length from your starting pitching. Having guys like that is always important. But not only is [Myers] going to be a guy [who does that] - depending on where we're at because we have a long ways to go - but this is a guy that can pitch high-leverage innings as well."

"I'm comfortable on the mound. I feel like if you're starting a game, if you're relieving, if you're closing, you've still got to get three outs or whatever the case may be, so for me, I just try to keep that mentality and keep everything simple."

Tobias Myers, acquired in the trade that brought Freddy Peralta to the Mets, is being positioned to fill the increasingly rare role of long reliever and swingman. The Mets struggled last year when starting pitchers routinely failed to pitch past the fifth inning, forcing the team to use seven different closers. Manager Carlos Mendoza emphasizes that Myers provides versatility, capable of pitching high-leverage innings while also providing length. The 27-year-old righthander, entering his third major-league season, is being stretched out to 60-65 pitches during spring training. Myers maintains a simple mentality regardless of his role, focusing on getting outs whether starting, relieving, or closing.

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