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00:09Let's start with one of your three relievers that you are keeping the closest eye on down the stretch here,
00:15and why?
00:15Who would that be?
00:17All right, so I made a—I don't know if it's sort of in order, but I put this in this
00:21way.
00:22One I think is going to be interesting for the fans.
00:25Nate Lavender is for me because, look, we saw him make his Major League debut on August 4th, and look,
00:34he's had an injury-interrupted path, I guess you could say, through the Mets farm system, right?
00:38But the first two outings that he had with the Mets, they looked pretty good, right?
00:42Two in the third inning, zero hits, one walk, three strikeouts.
00:45You liked the swing and miss stuff that you saw from him?
00:49Now, is that real?
00:51Is that something that can continuously be there for him?
00:54Because the strikeout ability looks like it could be there, right?
00:57That's kind of been his calling card when you look at his numbers through his minor league career.
01:01And for me, that's the thing I want to really watch with him over these next, you know, under two
01:07months now, right?
01:08Like, how does that minor league strikeout ability translate against Major League hitters?
01:12And I think the other thing, when you look at this with him, this is a huge opportunity because with
01:18Brooks Raley, with A.J. Minter going out, this is a huge spot for a lefty, a left-handed reliever,
01:25which Mets now need and need to see what they could have for 2027, Wardy.
01:29This is a great opportunity for him.
01:31So, for me, when I look at it like that, you know, along with Jeff Yon, it's what are these
01:36guys going to do to try to win that spot?
01:38Can they be part of the solution as a lefty reliever in 2027?
01:42And then I think the last thing for me, right, when I'm looking at a lefty like him, a young
01:46lefty, it's, okay, what are you going to do against right-handed hitters, right?
01:52Now, the Mets are not going to be playing meaningful September baseball, but I would think Andy Green is going
01:57to have him against some righties.
01:59Let's see how useful he is, how he rises to that challenge, right?
02:04Because if not, well, not if not, you will know then, okay, is he just a lefty specialist that you
02:10use against left-handers, or is this a guy you could bring in to compete against right-handed batters?
02:15Like, that's a thing for me that I'm watching.
02:17So for me is that, hey, man, could this guy be a left-handed bullpen answer for 2027?
02:21The early start for him that we've seen from him since his debut on August 4th has been good.
02:26The thing for him is, does he have to swing and miss stuff?
02:29Can he stay healthy?
02:30And what can he then do against right-handers?
02:32Those are the big things for me.
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