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          New York Mets

          Second lefty competition remains thin

          • Adam Rubin, ESPN Staff WriterJan 21, 2015, 08:16 AM ET
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              Adam Rubin has covered the Mets since 2003. He's a graduate of Mepham High School on Long Island and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He joined ESPNNewYork after spending 10 years at the New York Daily News.
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          NEW YORK -- Veteran lefty reliever Dana Eveland reportedly has signed with the Boston Red Sox, leaving the competition for a second left-hander to complement Josh Edgin in the Mets bullpen relatively thin.

          Dana Eveland

          Dana Eveland

          #61 RP
          New York Mets

          2014 STATS

          • GM30

          • W1

          • L1

          • BB6

          • K27

          • ERA2.63

          The competitors for that role should include Rule 5 pick Sean Gilmartin, re-signed Scott Rice, plus farmhands Darin Gorski, Dario Alvarez and Jack Leathersich. Alternatively, Sandy Alderson has indicated the Mets may just go with six righties plus Edgin in the bullpen.

          In the latter scenario, Edgin would be in line for extreme usage. And that doesn't bode well for his health, given that predecessors in that role Pedro Feliciano, Tim Byrdak and Rice all required shoulder surgery after being heavily used because of a lack of a capable complement.

          Of course, the Mets conceivably could acquire a left-handed reliever in a deal involving Dillon Gee, who figures to be traded this month.

          Eveland, 31, had a 2.63 ERA in 27 1/3 relief innings for the Mets in 2014 after spending the previous season in South Korea. However, he did not appear after Sept. 6 and eventually was dispatched home before the end of the season because of inflammation in his pitching elbow.

          The Mets had indicated this offseason that they were unsure how capable health-wise Eveland would be to contribute in 2015.

          Gilmartin, 24, is a former first-round pick who went 9-7 with a 3.71 ERA in 26 starts between Double-A New Britain and Triple-A Rochester last season. He must be offered back to the Minnesota Twins if he does not spend the entire 2015 season at the major league level with the Mets.

          Rice underwent elbow surgery to address a nerve issue and remove a bone spur last July 23.