Reed This: Garrett’s Balance and Brilliance in the Mets Bullpen

Some guys take ayahuasca with Aaron Rodgers to reach enlightenment. Reed Garrett prefers a simpler route: video review, mechanical tweaks, and throwing darts for outs.

When I caught up with Reed Garrett prior to last night’s 13-inning Mets-Dodgers epic, a 7-5 Mets loss that used every available reliever short of Tug McGraw’s ghost, we talked about life on the mound, where one misfired fastball can spiral into a full-blown existential crisis. For relievers, the couch is the mound, the therapist is the video room, and the medicine comes in the form of cleaner mechanics and a better grip. Garrett must’ve been feeling pretty zen, because hours later he navigated the chaos of the 11th and 12th innings, both complete with ghost runners, and emerged spotless: 2 innings, no hits, no runs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, and a microscopic ERA trimmed to 0.86.

At the start of the season, Garrett’s control was locked in on a need-to-know basis, like access to Area 51. And the hitters? They didn’t need to know. Then came a few hiccups,what in bullpen speak amounts to a blip, but in New York fan terms is a full-blown DEFCON 2. I asked Reed about a moment in Fenway over the weekend when the Mets brought back the square target from spring training think of it as baseball’s version of a visual spirit guide which he used while warming up in the bullpen. I asked him "Was it more of a visual cue, or a tool to help correct when things start to slip?"

Garrett smiled. “Depends on the day,” he said with the calm of a man who knows he’ll be judged by three pitches, max. “You’re not going to be perfect every time out. You just look at what went right when things were going well and what was different when it wasn’t.”

Simple, right? Like trying to put together a life-sized Mr. Met LEGO without the instructions.But that’s the beauty of Garrett’s approach. It’s not just about arm slots and video frame rates it’s self-awareness in a game that often leaves no time for it. He reviews a mental checklist daily, evaluating whether everything is “on time.” And if not? He corrects it before the wheels fall off and the ERA balloons like a beach ball.

Let’s be real. Most fans don’t get just how much baseball is played between the ears especially in the bullpen, where one misplaced fastball can haunt you like that time in 2009 Luis Castillo dropped that game ending pop fly against A-Rod at Yankee Stadium. (Sorry I brought it up if you’re one of the lucky Mets fans who managed to repress it.)

“It’s tough,” Garrett admitted. “You have to remember your whole body of work. Against the Yankees, I didn’t pitch great, but I put up a zero. That’s what I needed to focus on.”

Let’s pause here. A guy puts up a scoreless inning in front of 40,000 strong and still feels like it wasn’t good enough. That’s the razor’s edge relievers live on, like joining a bumper car free-for-all while driving a vintage Ford Pinto and hoping nobody taps your rear bumper.

“It’s about not letting one outing snowball,” Garrett said. “You can deal with one or two bad games. It’s when it turns into three or four that you’re out of whack.”

Translation: It’s all fun and games until you blow a save, your name starts trending, and the deli guy who still talks about the '86 team suddenly thinks he’s your pitching coach.

Now, if you think it’s all doom and gloom out there beyond the outfield fence, think again. This is where the team bond grows, thanks to a 98 mph fastball, a few mustaches, and every now and then, a surprise visit from Juan Soto during a pitching change.

Reed lit up when I asked about the vibe in the 'pen. “We’re close,” he said. “We all hang out, we talk. It’s friendly competition. One guy throws well, you want to go out and do the same.”

There's a mutual respect in that bullpen, from veterans like Edwin Diaz to human flamethrowers like Ryne Stanek. “We’re all pulling on the same rope,” Garrett said, which sounds like something you'd find on a motivational poster, except here it’s backed by high-leverage strikeouts and 12-pitch duels.

Like Mr. Miyagi teaching Daniel LaRusso to find his footing on a rocking boat in the Karate Kid, the bullpen is looking for that perfect balance. Brooks Raley’s return could be just the steadying force it needs, proving that as Mr. Miyagi said “whole life have a balance,” on and off the mound.

“Brooks is great,” Reed said, clearly excited. “We’re glad he’s healthy, and when he gets here, he’ll be a big piece.”

But Garrett, ever the professional, isn’t looking past the next pitch. “We’re taking it one outing at a time.”

From bouncing around multiple teams and even playing overseas in Japan, Garrett’s career path hasn’t always been smooth. But since joining the Mets, he’s steadily evolved into a key bullpen piece, posting a strong 3.61 ERA and 1.33 WHIP over 95.1 innings across three seasons. And this season? Garrett has taken it to another level, boasting an incredible 0.86 ERA in 21 innings, with 21 strikeouts and a WHIP of just 1.24, showing the dominance and control every team dreams of. His journey is proof that success often comes not from instant glory but from resilience, steady growth, and finding your balance just like Mr. Miyagi always taught.

Here is our full conversation :