The Mets are playing the waiting game when it comes to closer Jeurys Familia. While the charges in his Oct. 31 domestic violence incident were dropped in December, but MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has yet to hand down a punishment, as the league continues to assess the evidence on their own. 

While the process is reportedly moving slower than some would like, a suspension seems inevitable based on precedents set by Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman and Mets infielder Jose Reyes. Spring training is rapidly approaching and the Mets are more likely to begin the season without their All-Star closer. 

So, where do they go from here? They go to Addison Reed.

8 Questions

The lanky left-handed sidearmer closed as a rookie in 2012. Reed converted 29 saves that year and followed up that performance with a career-high 40 the following year. He had 32 saves in 2014 with the Diamondbacks, but he was somewhat ineffective, going 1-7 with a 4.25 ERA. Reed lost his closing job early in 2015 and was even sent down to the minors to work on his mechanics. 

In a setup role, Reed bounced back with the Mets last season. He went 4-2 with a 1.97 ERA, the lowest on the team, walked a career-low 13 batters and held the lead 60 times. It's tough to fill the shoes of the closer who led baseball with 51 saves last season, but Reed is the logical solution. 

However, the bullpen depth drops off significantly from there. 

The Mets had the sixth-best bullpen ERA last season, but many of the relievers that helped pitch them there are gone.

Fernando Salas, Jerry Blevins and Logan Verrett are all elsewhere and there's only one other reliever not named Reed of Familia that had an ERA under 3.00: Seth Lugo (0-1, 2.65 ERA). But his nine-game sample size is small. Hansel Robles is the only other reliever left on the roster who had a sub-4.00 ERA in 2016 (6-4, 3.48). 

The Mets are rumored to be in talks with Jerry Blevins for a two-year deal, which would solve their left-handed setup situation. Right-handed setup men Sergio Romo and Joe Smith are still on the market as well. 

Sean Gilmartin or Josh Smoker could break out, a reclamation project like Adam Wilk could make an impact or one of their top pitching prospects like Gabriel Ynoa or Robert Gsellman could step up. 

Until then, the bullpen looks as though it could be the Mets' only real weakness. 

Abbey Mastracco may be reached at amastracco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @abbeymastracco. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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