Author: Frank Caggino
The main reason the Mets stayed in first place for over 100 days, was how well their starting pitching performed. One of the reasons the Mets were not able to get back in first place, is the starting pitching did not perform well. Jacob deGrom got hurt, Carlos Carrasco underperformed, Tylor Megill was inconsistent, and the other starting pitchers have a history of being injured. Noah Syndergaard was injured most of the season and only pitched two innings. Acquiring starting pitching depth should be a top priority for the Mets this offseason. It seemed like Noah Syndergaard was going to stay with the Mets after expressing how much he wanted to be a Met. But as always with the Mets, nothing is as it seems.
Noah Syndergaard ended up signing a one-year 21 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels. This deal was only three million more than the qualifying offer of 18.4 million that the New York Mets offered Syndergaard. What is concerning about Noah leaving the Mets, is according to multiple reports, he did not tell the Mets he was going to be signing with the Angels due to their better offer. The Mets will get a compensatory draft pick and an extra 18.4 million to spend on other free agents.
The main free agent the Mets should use the Syndergaard money on is Marcus Stroman. He was one of the pitchers that were pitching great when the Mets were in first place. When deGrom got hurt, Stroman was the only consistently productive starting pitcher the Mets had and finished ninth in ERA. Stroman is looking for a big payday and now the Mets have more money to potentially re-sign him. Even if the Mets do keep Marcus, they still need more starting pitching.
Fortunately for the Mets, there are plenty of available free-agent starting pitchers. Max Scherzer is not coming to the Mets, the realistic options to pursue besides Stroman are Kevin Gausman, Carlos Rodon, Robbie Ray. The one concern about these pitchers is 2021 was their first great year. They are going to have high asking prices as well which can make it risky to sign them. If the Mets do keep Stroman, adding Jon Gray or Anthony Descalfini would be nice additions as they are solid pitchers at a lower price.
The Mets need to sign one big starter and at least one or more depth pieces for the rotation. Getting a draft pick is also a big deal for a farm system that is top-heavy and depleted. Maybe Noah Syndergaard is not the same pitcher anymore and the Mets will end up being lucky he did not re-sign. But as we know, the Mets do not normally get lucky.
SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE
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