Yesterday I expressed some great concern over what the ballclub is doing to fortify its starting pitching when all we read about is the offensive players they should be targeting. Obviously there is a great need with only three starters (plus Seth Lugo and Steve Matz) slated to be available to take the mound to open games. That's not a formula for success with Lugo being far greater out of the pen and Matz appearing hopelessly lost. In fact, a great many people are advocating the Mets simply non-tender Matz rather than pay him a salary approaching $6 million for an ERA approaching double digits.
Today we need to look long and hard at the bullpen which was nearly as bad as the starting rotation. I'm going to simply dismiss conversation about Edwin Diaz who should have made a great many haters hold their tongues after his stellar 2020 performance. Jeurys Familia improved over 2019 but still was not the same dominant All Star caliber pitcher he was when he was closing games for the Mets. They're both going to be there.
After that the picture gets a bit murkier. Call me skeptical, but the decisions by Dellin Betances and Brad Brach to exercise their rightful contractual clauses to return means the bullpen is getting crowded but not necessarily with the quality of arms needed to contend. Betances walked more people than he struck out and finished his 15 game season with a 7.71 ERA. Some of that may rightfully be rust after injury as he's never pitched that poorly before. Brach was almost as bad. He pitched 14 games, walked 14 and struck out 14 with a 5.84 ERA. Both men have done far better in the past (long before 2020).
There are plenty of filler options available to the Mets who they have seen before, including Chasen Shreve, Daniel Zamora, Corey Oswalt, Drew Smith and Robert Gsellman. Then you have some latecomers from last season like Miguel Castro and Ariel Jurado. The problem is that this whole group has not conducted itself at a level to strike confidence with the management of the club nor with the fans.
Usually when relievers are available in the free agent marketplace who generate interest, they are the closers. Unless they have a plan of tampering with what's finally working with Edwin Diaz, they really don't need a closer. However, having a few more reliable arms as both insurance and for other innings definitely makes sense.
Brad Hand was cut loose by the Indians after a stunning season because he was due to earn $10 million in 2021. Teams could have signed him at that salary but most are awaiting full free agency when they hope they could lock him up for multiple years at a lower average annual salary. He'd be a great one for the Mets to have on their team, but like the Trevor Bauer starter consideration you have to ask if it's the best way to spend your money.
Pitcher Liam Hendriks from the Oakland A's is a free agent and Sandy Alderson should know him very well having been in their front office just a month ago. He has had two straight terrific seasons during which he was a sometime then regular closer but his career prior to 2019 was meh. Even with consecutive seasons of 1.80 and 1.78 ERAs he still sports an unimpressive 4.10 for his career. At age 32 he'd probably accept a setup role on the Mets and wouldn't likely cost a fortune considering he's coming off a contract paying him $5.3 million in 2020.
Trevor Rosenthal took some time to regain his former stellar performance but in 2020 between the Royals and the Padres he finished with a 1.90 ERA in 23 games with 11 saves. He shouldn't break the bank either considering he earned just $1 million in a buyout by the Washington Nationals. He'd probably be glad to serve in a setup role and he's young enough to lock up for some time.
The Minnesota Twins refugee Trevor May is a setup guy who has been quite good two of the past three years. What's really eye popping for him is his strikeout pitching. Even last season when the ERA rose to 3.86 he struck out 38 in just over 24 IP. He earned $2.2 million in 2020 and won't break the bank either.
Veteran reliever Jeremy Jeffress pitched exceptionally well for the Chicago Cubs last season at a salary of just $850K. He finished with 22 games pitched, a 1.54 ERA and 8 saves as a setup guy who was a backup to the closer. Ding, ding, ding!!!
Reliever Kirby Yates was paid $7 million by the Padres for a terrible 2020 after two stellar campaigns in a row. In 2019 and 2018 he finished with respective ERAs of 1.19 and 2.14. Given his 12.46 ERA last year, he's going to be a reclamation project, but a guy who once saved 41 games in a season is an arm worth exploring (particularly at a discount rate).
Lefty Jake McGee was a terrific pitcher before and after his years spent suffering in Colorado. It's a common affliction. He has a 3.59 ERA for his career padded amply by those three seasons getting battered as a member of the Rockies. Last year in a setup role for the Dodgers he struck out 14.6 per 9 IP while walking just 1.6. He finished with 24 games on his resume, no saves, and a 2.66 ERA. He earned $9.5 million last year but his option was bought out and he's off to find a new employer for probably quite a bit less money.
Then there's always a Justin Wilson reunion...
9 comments:
Great article. This pen needs a major upgrade, and Sandy should be buying. Three straight years of awful Mets pen work must stop. Stop cold.
Isn't 14 billion dollars 14 thousand million? I think we can squeeze it in the budget...but wait does Steve even have a budget? O.K. all kidding aside I love having (Steve's) money to spend and for the first time in forever I'm confident it will be handled correctly.
It really feel's like I just woke up from a coma going from the Wilphonie's reign to Steve Cohen and looking around at the new surrounding's and finding out what just happened to our favorite team and going "am I in Heaven" kind like our own 'Field of Dreams.
Gary, amen.
14 homers in 145 at bats, many against above average pitching. He’d have to really regress to miss the ROY.
Hand would be a tremedous acquisition. The assumption is now that he can be had for under $10 million for 2020, so in the Cohen era that won't prohibit any other acquisition. Drop him in the pen and return Lugo there and the Mets have 3 guys with solid to decent closer experience, with Betances and Familia as wildcards should they improve in 2021. Add a RH bat and some starting pitching and away we go.
I agree Hand would be great. I would stick with Chasen Shreve for my two lefties in the pen.
It will also be interesting to see who gets non-tendered in the next few weeks.
My typo - Arozarena had 17 homers in 145 ABs.
Yes, the non-tenders will be interesting.
I have seen articles of potentially non-tendering either or both Robert Gsellman and Steven Matz. I think either would be a bad idea. Both at their relatively low salaries should be tendered contracts and used as fillers for trades. Almost every team is looking for pitching.
Matz's left arm must certainly be worth $6M to somebody that thinks he is a better pitcher than 2020 showed. (Davis and Matz to Cubs for Bryant might get it done). Or alternatively, I'm pretty sure Mickey Calloway would/could work with him on the Angels who are really strapped on the mound. Not sure of the return there, but a couple prospects would be better than just releasing him.
Gsellman would be a good filler to a team for another better pitcher (thinking a bigger deal with Cleveland for Plesac or even MacKenzie). Gsellman could be used as a swing starter, and somehow Cleveland seems to have the knack to get a lot out of their pitching perhaps they can 'fix' him. I don't know whether it is Francona or somebody else, because even after Calloway left, they have had a good staff.
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