The Mets’ Lefty Lottery Ticket: Why Colin Poche Could Be This Year’s Bullpen Bargain

When it comes to left-handed relief pitchers, the Mets’ 2025 season started out like a bad rerun of a hospital drama: ER: Citi Field Edition. AJ Minter hit the injured list early on, Danny Young soon followed, and suddenly the bullpen was more right-leaning than Fox News.

That’s where David Stearns and the Mets’ front office earned their keep.

First came the reunion with the reliable Brooks Raley, who’s rehabbing and reportedly on track to return within a few weeks. That move eased some of the pain—but not all of it. Enter Colin Poche, a name that sounds like it belongs in a French film noir but might wind up being a feel-good story in Queens instead.

Let’s back up.

Colin Poche (pronounced poh-SHAY, which will come in handy when you’re yelling at your TV) is a 31-year-old lefty with a winding road behind him and, potentially, a few quality innings ahead. A Texas kid by way of Arkansas and Dallas Baptist, Poche turned down a shot with the Orioles out of high school, then survived Tommy John surgery, rehab, and the minor league meat grinder to debut with the Rays in 2019.

With Tampa, Poche carved out a niche as a dependable middle reliever. From 2022 to 2024, he made 174 appearances and posted a tidy 3.27 ERA—pretty solid for someone whose name you probably haven’t seen on a jersey at Modell’s. In 2023, he was lights-out: a 2.23 ERA, 66 appearances, and 22 holds. He was practically a human fire extinguisher.

But then came 2024: a few bumps, bruises, and a drop in velocity. His ERA nudged up to 3.86, his strikeout rate dipped, and the always-budget-conscious Rays decided not to tender him a contract rather than pay him north of $3 million. So he hit the free agent market—a little dinged up, but not broken.

The Nationals scooped him up this past winter on a minor-league deal, and he cracked their Opening Day roster. Unfortunately, the D.C. stint was a mess: 13 games, 11.42 ERA, more walks than strikeouts, and a WHIP high enough to require a seatbelt. The Nats brought in Andrew Chafin, DFA’d Poche, and that was that.

Here’s where things get interesting. Rather than sulk or slink into independent ball, Poche elected free agency and signed with—you guessed it—the Mets. A minor-league deal, sure. But don’t mistake "minor league" for "no shot."

This is a very Mets move in the Stearns era: low risk, potentially useful reward. If Poche is cooked, fine—he’s at Triple-A Syracuse and doesn’t clog the 40-man roster. But if he’s even close to the guy he was in Tampa, he could give the Mets exactly what they’re missing: a steady southpaw who can get big outs in the sixth or seventh inning without needing a police escort.

And let’s not overlook the Jeremy Hefner Factor. The Mets pitching coach has quietly built a reputation as the bullpen whisperer, the guy who finds gold in baseball’s recycle bin. If you’re skeptical, I invite you to look at Huascar Brazobán’s stat line and tell me how many of you saw that coming besides me, this spring. Hefner didn’t just dust him off—he turned him into a contributor.

Poche now enters the lab with a similar set of tools: experience, deception, and the need for a fresh start.

Also worth noting: Poche’s last outing with Washington, just before he was DFA’d, was a perfect inning. Maybe it’s nothing. Maybe it’s the beginning of a bounce-back.

Look, no one’s expecting Colin Poche to be the second coming of Tug McGraw. But in a season that already feels like it’s one strained ligament away from chaos, he might just be the kind of unheralded pickup that helps hold things together. A duct-tape lefty. The kind of guy you forget about until you realize he’s pitched in three straight wins.

In a bullpen full of question marks, he’s another one—but maybe, just maybe, he ends up being an answer.

And if not? Well, at least we learned how to pronounce "Poche."