Daniel Duarte is taking things day by day.
The Mets reliever is one of several arms poised to get an extended look in the coming weeks ā with the likes of Luke Weaver and Brooks Raley all expected to be traded by the Aug. 3 deadline.
A.J. Minter, another reliever, was traded to the Twins on Thursday night in exchange for infield prospects Bruin Agbayani ā the son of former Met Benny Agbayani ā and Billy Amick.
Yet Duarte, who has yet to allow a run in 11ā¹/ā innings of action this season, is concentrating on what he can control following his latest call-up from Triple-A Syracuse.
āJust focus on every opportunity that I have, especially with one [minor league] option remaining,ā Duarte told The Post before Thursdayās 4-2 win against the Marlins. āWeāll see if Iām still here by the end of the season or not. But you know, take advantage of every opportunity and get in good shape for next year.ā

The 29-year-old, who exercised his upward mobility clause in May, has been quietly effective when handed the ball in the majors.
In seven games, heās racked up 11 strikeouts against just two walks, to go along with a 0.00 ERA that has surely caught the attention of the organization he joined in December on a minor league deal.
Duarte, who did not pitch in Thursdayās win, has used his cutter more than any other pitch this year and singled out that pitch when asked about his success this season. Heās also keenly focused on remaining healthy after missing plenty of time with elbow injuries in recent years.
The righty, though, knows the extra innings he may soon see would come after some difficult goodbyes.
āWe spend like 10 hours a day with these guys,ā he said of his bullpen mates. āItās like family, and when this [players being traded] happens, itās tough. But every change is for good, so weāre good with that.ā
āWe support each other every outing,ā he added of the Mets bullpen culture. āDoesnāt matter if youāre good or bad. You just be there for each other.ā
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That close-knit culture will have to persist through some forthcoming personnel changes, as Weaver, Minter and Raley have all had strong seasons and fashioned themselves into trade targets for contenders.
That could mean extra work for Duarte, Huascar BrazobƔn and Cionel PƩrez, and interim manager Andy Green is eager to find some positives in this lost season.
āNobody wants to be on this side of a trade deadline,ā Green said. āItās where we find ourselves at this moment. That also doesnāt mean that thereās not a lot of meaningful games to be played before the season ends.ā

