Mets Bullpen Issues Must Be Addressed Soon

The New York Mets are a .500 team (45-45), standing only 1.5 games out of the wild card. In short, the Amazins are on the precipice of either serious October baseball or a serious October vacation. On Tuesday night the Mets held off a late Washington Nationals charge, winning 7-5, but it was a match-up the Mets never should have sweated out.

New York was up 6-0 in the eighth inning. Jose Quintana was cruising, allowing only a hit over seven scoreless. Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo both hit three-run bombs. It was going to be a laugher.

Then it wasn't. Adam Ottavino and Reed Garrett couldn't shut the door, as the Nationals scored a combined five runs off the two relievers. Edwin Diaz, who an hour earlier looked like he would get the night off had to come in and get the final out.

Ottavino and Garret are prime examples of the taxed and overworked bullpen the Mets have right now.

Carlos Mendoza has had no choice but to go to guys like Ottavino, Garrett, and Danny Nunez regularly with Drew Smith and Brooks Raley both out for the year with elbow injuries. Sean Reid-Foley and Shintaro Fujinami are both on the way back soon from shoulder impingements.

New York is fifth in Major League Baseball in blown saves with 16. Throughout May the Mets would drop games they had leads in. Lately, the Mets have been fortunate to have a scorching hot offense to make up the difference as they did in Pittsburgh on Saturday when New York came back to win 3-2. But the question is how much longer can it continue? Are there reinforcements on the way?

TRADES

Before Tuesday's game, the Mets acquired Phil Maton from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for cash considerations. Is Melton a savior? No. He's decent. With the Rays this year he was 1-2 with a 4.58 ERA and two saves in 40 appearances. He owns a career 4.28 ERA.

New York also acquired reliever Matt Gage from the Dodgers for cash considerations and optioned him to Triple-A Syracuse.

Neither Maton nor Gage are going to jump off the page, but they are arms, and the Mets need that desperately.

DAVID STEARNS NEEDS TO DO MORE

It will be up to David Stearns to swing a deal between now and the July 30 trade deadline to get a bigger impact reliever in town especially if the Mets remain in the mix for a playoff berth.

The New York Times listed several potential relievers like Oakland's Mason Miller or Pittsburgh's Aroldis Chapman. Even Texas' David Robertson -- a player whom the Mets traded away last season at the deadline is potentially available if the Rangers keep falling out of it.

If the Mets are serious about playoffs in 2024, a move would have to be made -- granted one that makes sense without depleting a minor league system that Stearns, and his predecessor Billy Eppler, started to re-stock.

MORE METS

If you have some money wasting away in a savings account that doesn't have interest, then you might want to consider making your money grow with low-risk investments. Financial experts say that certain low-risk investments can really help pad your savings.

Before we get into the best low-risk investments, let's look at what exactly is a low-risk investment. The official definition is basically what you would expect from the definition of a low-risk investment. According to the financial experts at Capital.com, it's "an investment where there is perceived to be just a slight chance of losing some or all of your money. Low risk investments offer you a security blanket as they’re not likely to suddenly drop in value."

In contrast, according to Investopedia.com, "A high-risk investment is one for which there is either a large percentage chance of loss of capital or under-performance—or a relatively high chance of a devastating loss." They add that, "The first of these is intuitive, if subjective: If you were told there’s a 50/50 chance that your investment will earn your expected return, you may find that quite risky." So, for example, a 50/50 risk might not seem risky to some, but it might seem risky to others. An investment with a 99% risk will obviously seem risky to everyone. But, with high-risk investments come big payouts, so that's what lures people in. For example, a separate article from Investopedia.com states that some high-risk investments can double your money. That's obviously a much bigger return than you would see in your average investment. As they state, "Make no mistake, there is no guaranteed way to double your money with any investment. But there are plenty of examples of investments that doubled or more in a short period of time."

So, if you're interested in making a ton of money, or losing it all, high-risk investments such as investing in foreign emerging markets may be of interest to you. "A country experiencing a growing economy can be an ideal investment opportunity," experts at Investopedia.com state. "Investors can buy government bonds, stocks, or sectors with that country experiencing hyper-growth or ETFs that represent a growing sector of stocks." They add "spurts in economic growth in countries are rare events that, though risky, can provide investors with a slew of brand new companies to invest in to bolster personal portfolios."

Now, let's move onto some low-risk investments for those who don't want to risk losing their money. Of course, talk to your financial advisor before making any of these moves.

You've probably heard of CDs being low-risk investments. Fidelity.com explains that "CDs provide reliable, fixed-rate returns on a lump sum of money over a fixed period of time, such as six months, one year, or five years." They add that the great thing is that if you "get a traditional CD at a bank or credit union where they are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or the National Credit Union Association (NCUA)." Usually, CDs have a minimum deposit, and you’ll have to pay a penalty if you take your money out too soon.

High-yield savings accounts are like your regular savings account, but they earn more interest. "You can use these accounts for long-term savings goals or to hold extra money from your checking account," CreditKarma.com states. "For example, if you want to start saving for a house or building up an emergency fund, this could be a great option."

Forbes.com says that right now, the risk level for U.S. treasury bills, notes and bonds is "very low." They add that, "U.S. Treasury securities are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. Historically, the U.S. has always paid its debts, which helps to ensure that Treasurys are the lowest-risk investments you can own."

Fidelity.com states that, "Money market funds are mutual funds that invest in short-term, low-risk assets like Treasury and government securities, commercial paper, or municipal debt—depending on the focus of the fund." They add that, "Because their underlying investments are typically high quality, they are generally less volatile than other types of mutual funds, such as stock funds."

Fixed annuities are a pretty safe bet. As Forbes.com explains, "Fixed annuities are a popular type of annuity contract that are frequently used for retirement planning, but can also be useful for medium-term financial goals." They add that, "Sold by insurance companies and financial services companies, a fixed annuity guarantees a fixed rate of return over a set period of time, regardless of market conditions."

People talk about stepping outside of their comfort zone in life, but really, investing isn't a place to do this. You know how much money you have to "play" with, so if you're worried about putting too much money in the market, these low-risk investments could still help you make money on your money.