The 2025 season has begun for the New York Mets with strong pitching performances, but things haven’t gone as planned in the bullpen.
Jose Butto, 27, one of their more erratic arms, may be approaching a turning point.
Though not quite a catastrophe, Butto’s 4.20 ERA over 15 innings this season is far from the domination the Mets had hoped for.
Notwithstanding the apparent difficulties, Butto’s underlying financial data paints a quite different picture.
His whiff rate is in the 82nd percentile, his chase rate is in the 71st percentile, and his ground ball rate is in the 84th percentile.
Metrics like these imply Butto should be prospering, but his results with runners on base have been a different story completely.
What’s going wrong for Butto on the mound?
Butto got roughed up for three hits and three earned runs in only 0.2 innings during the Mets’ devastating 8–7 walk-off defeat to the Washington Nationals.
In a season full of lost chances, it was just another disheartening performance.
Butto should be able to keep batters guessing with his main toolkit, which consists of a slider, sinker, changeup, and four-seam fastball.
But opposition batters are taking advantage of his fastball’s lack of life to blow past MLB opponents by making excessively strong contact.
The fact that Butto is walking 4.20 hitters per nine innings and giving out free passes that just make his job more difficult only adds to the aggravation.
Even the greatest secondary pitches might become ineffective if you’re often throwing out of jams.
Asking a tightrope walker to bear more weight during a performance is similar to that—one minor slip-up and everything falls apart.
What’s next for the Mets and Butto?
The Mets appear to be willing to wait for now.
Given the raw tools Butto brings to the mound, manager Carlos Mendoza is unlikely to make a fast judgment and demote him after only a few rough games.
Rather, it seems that they will provide him with further live opportunities to discover his rhythm.
If he can work out the kinks, Butto undoubtedly has the potential to be a high-leverage arm.
However, if he keeps making mistakes in crucial situations, the Mets might eventually have to look into other bullpen options. If the team is still in the thick of the playoff race, that window might close sooner rather than later.
For the time being, Butto has the upper hand.
Before the Mets are forced to change course, it is his responsibility to make things better.
