New Arms Alert: David Stearns Gambles on Two Bullpen Reboots—Meet Julian Merryweather and Justin Garza

The New York Mets made a pair of under-the-radar pitching moves yesterday, signing right-handers Julian Merryweather and Justin Garza. If the names don’t ring a bell, don’t worry , neither one had Scott Boras updating his resume. But each brings a combination of past promise, present intrigue, and a dash of, “Hey, if this works out, it might actually be something.”

Let’s meet the newest Mets—because if they pan out, you’ll want to sound smart when you say “I liked him back when he signed the minor league deal.”

Julian Merryweather: Talent, Injuries, and a Name Fit for a Dickens Novel

Merryweather, 32, is a California kid who took the long, scenic route to the big leagues. He pitched at Skyline College and Oklahoma Baptist University (yep, that’s a real place), where he was basically untouchable: a 22–5 record and a 1.73 ERA in two years.

Drafted by Cleveland in 2014, he showed early promise in the minors, highlighted by a 13–6 season with a 2.60 ERA across High-A and Double-A in 2016. That was enough to earn him a spot on the 40-man roster and a one-way ticket to “He’s Got a Shot” status.

Then came the first elbow explosion. Merryweather had Tommy John surgery in 2018, which cost him a full season. Cleveland eventually traded him to Toronto in the Josh Donaldson deal, a sentence that makes Blue Jays fans wince to this day.

He finally made his MLB debut in 2020, showing flashes of swing-and-miss stuff, but also flashing his now signature inconsistency and health lottery ticket. In the past few years, he’s bounced between injury lists like a pinball—oblique strains, shoulder trouble, even knee surgery.

Most recently with the Cubs, Merryweather posted a solid 3.38 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 72 innings in 2023, arguably his best stretch yet. But 2024 was a mess: shoulder strain, back stress fracture, and surgery to top it off. He was let go by Chicago just a couple weeks ago. Stearns must’ve liked what he saw in the medical report, or in the 98 strikeouts from the year before.

Justin Garza: Mr. Bounce-Back

Garza, 31, hails from Ontario, California, and was once a high school All-American who struck out 101 batters in 88 innings. That earned him a spot at Cal State Fullerton, where he was electric his freshman year (12–0, 2.03 ERA), before his elbow joined the Tommy John club in college.

Drafted by Cleveland (yes, again) in 2015, Garza has been a slow burn. He labored through the minors, gradually figuring things out. The breakthrough came in 2021, when he put up a microscopic 0.44 ERA in Triple-A, prompting Cleveland to give him his big-league shot.

He’s had brief stints with the Guardians, Angels, and Red Sox, never quite sticking, but always tantalizing teams with flashes of plus stuff and solid relief work. Most recently, he posted a 3.60 ERA over 55 innings in the Giants’ system, showing he still knows how to get outs.

The Mets traded for Garza, sending cash considerations west. That’s baseball-speak for “you can have him if you cover lunch.”

So What Does David Stearns See?

It’s not hard to connect the dots here. The recent additions of Julian Merryweather and Justin Garza fit a very specific Mets bullpen prototype under David Stearns:

Formerly touted arms with real strikeout stuff.

Injury histories longer than a CVS receipt.

Occasional bursts of effectiveness that make you wonder, "What if?"

Most importantly: cheap, controllable, and eager for another shot.

These are classic “buy-low” candidates , the kind who come with tools you don’t usually find in the bargain bin unless the label’s peeling and the instruction manual is missing. Merryweather can touch the upper 90s with life. Garza’s got late movement and deception. And now both have keys to the Mets’ pitching lab, where Jeremy Hefner and company quietly try to turn rust into gold.

And they’re not alone in this bullpen reboot.

On May 15, the Mets acquired José Castillo from the Diamondbacks for cash consideration, which is baseball executive speak for "Sure, why not?" Castillo, a hard-throwing lefty from Venezuela, has endured more physical setbacks than a reality show contestant. Tommy John surgery. Lat strain. Flexor strain. Finger injury. His medical file is basically a prequel to a pharmaceutical lawsuit.

But here's the twist: since joining the Mets, Castillo has looked like a man reborn. In seven appearances, he’s tossed seven scoreless innings, fanned nine, walked just three, and allowed... nothing. Zero runs. Zilch. That’s not a typo, it’s a revelation. Castillo’s early results look like divine intervention.

So maybe Stearns and the Mets pitching lab know something the rest of the league doesn’t. Maybe there's a secret sauce percolating in Port St. Lucie or a data model spitting out names that sound crazy until they aren't.

Then again, maybe not. Because for every Castillo, there’s been a reminder that reclamation isn't a guarantee.

Tyler Zuber, once an intriguing Royals arm, has a 7.45 ERA in 18 games for Syracuse.

Anthony Gose, still chasing consistency after his two-way experiment, has walked 13 in 21.2 innings, with a 4.57 ERA and enough wildness to make Rick Ankiel feel seen.

Colin Poche, once a steady hand in Tampa Bay, has posted a 5.63 ERA with a walk rate (9.0 BB/9) that could make Mitch Williams blush.

In other words: the dartboard approach hasn’t quite hit the bullseye yet.

But it only takes one to stick. And if Stearns finds even two arms that can keep the ball out of the seats and the Mets in games, that’s called roster alchemy. It’s how you patch a bullpen without signing three-year deals for guys with 13 saves and the mileage of a yellow cab.

So don’t pencil in Merryweather or Garza for late-inning heroics just yet. But don’t be surprised if, a month from now, one of them is jogging in from the Citi Field bullpen to preserve a one-run lead while Gary Cohen says, “And this is why you take flyers.”In the end, it’s the oldest bullpen truth there is: you can never have enough arms. The Mets are betting that one man’s waiver wire is another man’s setup man.