New York Mets Jeurys Familia Expected to Be Suspended
Although charges were dropped against New York Mets closer Jeurys Familia, he is still expected to be suspended for the first 30 games of the 2017 season.
The New York Mets could miss their closer for an extended period of time to start the 2017 season. According to Kristie Ackert of New York Daily News, Jeurys Familia is expected to be suspended for at least the first 30 games of the 2017 season. This may come after Familia was not charged with the simple assault charges, that stemmed from a October 31st fight with his wife. Familia may be a free man legally, but Major League Baseball has other plans for him.
The incident occurred on October 31, 2015. The police were called to Familia’s home, because his wife called the police saying that Familia was “drunk” and “going crazy.” The police responded and found Familia’s wife with scratches on her chest and a bruise on her cheek. Familia’s wife claimed that the bruise on her cheek came from leaning on it and the scratches came from their one-year-old baby.
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Two knives were also found on the ground in the house, but Familia’s wife said that they were used to get into the bathroom, where Familia barricaded himself. The police first thoughts were that the knives were used to threaten her. Everything was dropped in court, when Familia’s wife said that she did not want to press charges any longer.
Familia, 27, pitched well above average for the Mets last season in the closers role. In 77.2 innings pitched, he posted a 2.55 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. He also was successful on 51 of 56 save opportunities. He led the National League with the 56 saves. In his career, Familia has posted a 2.46 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP, while saving 100 games in 115 tries. Familia has been a very important piece for the Mets the last couple of seasons and they will need to find a replacement for at least the first 30 games of next season.
The Mets have not made any big moves to improve their bullpen this off-season. With the Familia suspension looming, it is time the team moves their off-season focus to filling their closer role for the beginning of next season.
The Mets bullpen was terrific last season with a 3.53 ERA in 525 innings pitched last season. This has the Mets ranked 6th in MLB and 3rd in the National League in bullpen ERA. A huge part of this success was Familia and the Mets will miss him for an extended period of time. Look for the Mets to make a trade or signing this week to sure up their bullpen for next season.
