Mets Rumors: NYM Listening to Offers on Carlos Carrasco After Verlander Deal, More
Dec 13, 2022
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 04: Carlos Carrasco #59 of the New York Mets delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Washington Nationals during game one of a double header at Citi Field on October 04, 2022 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
After adding to their starting rotation in free agency, the New York Mets are listening to trade offers on Carlos Carrasco, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
"The ideal return would be a projectable young starter with options and a chance to contribute as soon as this coming season," Sherman added.
The Mets have already spent big on starters this offseason, adding Justin Verlander, José Quintana and Koudai Senga to slot in behind ace Max Scherzer.
If Carrasco is traded, the final spot in the rotation would likely come down to David Peterson and Tylor Megill. Elieser Hernandez could also provide depth after starting 10 games last season with the Miami Marlins.
Carrasco should draw significant interest on the open market after going 15-7 with a 3.97 ERA in 29 starts last season. The 35-year-old struggled during an injury-marred 2021 season, but he bounced back in a big way in 2022 with 152 strikeouts in 152 innings.
The veteran posted a 3.77 ERA across 11 seasons with Cleveland before coming to New York, finishing fourth in American League Cy Young Award voting in 2017. Carrasco is under contract for one more season at $14 million.
Trading a proven starter could still be a risky move for the Mets after they lost Jacob deGrom, Chris Bassitt and Taijuan Walker via free agency. Scherzer, 38, was limited to just 23 starts in 2022 due to injuries, while Verlander, 39, made just one start across 2020 and 2021 before returning last season.
With Senga unproven at the major league level after coming from Japan, there are still question marks about the Mets rotation.
Who Should Steve Cohen's Mets Target Next with Payroll Nearing Unthinkable $400M?
Dec 13, 2022
New York Mets' Pete Alonso (20) and Brandon Nimmo (9) gesture to Eduardo Escobar after they scored on a two-run single by Escobar during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
One might say that the New York Mets have left nothing to chance with their offseason dealings, but that would imply that Steve Cohen is finished pulling from his $17.5 billion fortune to finance a payroll that's already in record territory.
What if he's not?
Even as is, the receipt for the Mets' free-agent shopping comes to a capital-G, capital-T Grand Total of $461.7 million. That's for six players with varying degrees of star power, headlined by three-time American League Cy Young Award winner and future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander on a record-tying $43.3 million-per-year deal:
Re-signed CF Brandon Nimmo for eight years, $162 million
Re-signed RHP Edwin Díaz for five years, $102 million
Signed RHP Justin Verlander for two years, $86.7 million
Signed RHP Koudai Senga for five years, $75 million
Signed LHP José Quintana for two years, $26 million
Signed RHP David Robertson for one year, $10 million
According to FanGraphs, it all adds up to a projected Opening Day payroll of $335 million that towers over the Los Angeles Dodgers' record-setting $280.8 million Opening Day payroll from last season. And if anything, it undersells what the Mets are set to spend.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post recently floated $400 million as a possibility for the Mets' expenses for 2023, and they're already kinda-sorta there. For luxury-tax purposes, they're slated to open next season with a $349.6 million payroll. That's far beyond even the $293 million barrier that they call "the Cohen tax."
The bottom line, as summarized by David Lennon of Newsday:
Steve Cohen has invested roughly $430 million (including luxury tax) in #Mets for '23 season.
NFL salary cap: $208M NBA salary cap: $123M NHL salary cap: $82.5M
Cohen is changing the game when it comes to an owners' financial commitment to winning.
Say what you will about Cohen, so long as you don't say he's unserious about delivering the Mets' first World Series championship since 1986. He's not spending all this money just for kicks.
And yet the Mets still have more to do before they can declare themselves the winners of the 2022-23 offseason, much less the team to beat in 2023.
The Mets Haven't Yet Crossed Off All Their Needs
New York Mets owners Steve and Alexandra Cohen wait for the team's baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
That the Mets have already done so much on the offseason market isn't exactly surprising, and for two reasons.
It just wouldn't have made sense for Cohen—whose net worth dwarfs every other MLB owner's—to take his foot off the gas after what befell his team in 2022. His $282 million investment in payroll did yield 101 wins in the regular season—but only one in the playoffs. Suboptimal, as they say.
Otherwise, suffice it to say that you can't not go to work when you stand to lose Nimmo, Díaz, Jacob deGrom, Chris Bassitt, Taijuan Walker and Adam Ottavino via free agency.
Cut to now, and the Mets have not only avoided disaster but also deflected it. Their rotation, in particular, is arguably upgraded even sans deGrom, Bassitt and Walker.
In putting up a 1.75 ERA as a 39-year-old coming off Tommy John surgery, Verlander effectively etched another line in his Hall of Fame plaque. Quintana had a 2.93 ERA in his own right, while Senga and his "ghost fork" were responsible for a 1.89 ERA in Japan.
With Díaz—who struck out 118 of the 235 batters he faced in 2022—back in the closer's role and Robertson there to set up, the bullpen also looks solid. The offense, meanwhile, consists of the same Nimmo-, Francisco Lindor- and Pete Alonso-led group that tied for fifth in scoring last season.
Nonetheless, FanGraphs' WAR projections for 2023 still put the Mets (51.3) a hair behind the San Diego Padres (52.2). Break it down position by position relative to the average projection, and the Mets' shortcomings are easy to spot:
The Mets are fine on the pitching front, but those red bars at catcher, third base and designated hitter underscore a general need for at least one more bat. Maybe two, given that Mike Puma of the Post isn't wrong to have doubts about the outfield.
For that matter, SNY's John Harper likewise isn't wrong in thinking that even the bullpen "still needs work." Because why settle for solid when lights-out is better?
If the Mets Want to Play It Safe
New York Yankees' Andrew Benintendi reacts after hitting an RBI single during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Though the Mets still have the option of plucking, say, Carlos Correa, Dansby Swanson or Carlos Rodón from the top of the free-agent market, let's assume for now that Cohen has already gone far enough to not go full "drunken sailor."
Fortunately, the next tier of the market still features two capable left fielders who would fit well on the Mets: Andrew Benintendi and Michael Brantley. Both are contact-oriented hitters the likes of which the Mets quite like, while Benintendi has the added benefit of being a Gold Glove Award defender.
If the Mets are comfortable shifting Jeff McNeil, the reigning National League batting champ, into a super-utility role, they could otherwise tab somebody else to play second base. To this end, Jean Segura and Adam Frazier are two more high-contact hitters with effective gloves.
Eduardo Escobar seems less well-suited for a super-utility role, but former Met Justin Turner would be a sensible target if they would rather have someone else at third base. He doesn't have much in the way of power anymore, but he can still do patience and contact.
Then there are various platoon options, including Brandon Drury, Evan Longoria and J.D. Martinez from the right side and Matt Carpenter and David Peralta from the left. Each was quite good against opposite-side pitching in 2022:
As for relievers, Ottavino is still out there. But if the Mets would rather save money, Michael Fulmer might do just as well in the right-handed specialist role that Ottavino filled in 2022. Righty batters hit just .188 against the former Mets prospect last season.
If the Mets Want to Go for Broke
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 13: Carlos Correa #4 of the Minnesota Twins celebrates his two-run home run as he rounds the bases against the Kansas City Royals in the fifth inning of the game at Target Field on September 13, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Twins defeated the Royals 6-3. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
Yet even as unlikely as another seismic move may seem, at this point we should all know better than to put such a move past the Mets.
To wit, there are still persistent whispers that they are in on Correa:
Steve Phillips on MLB Network: #Giants and #Twins the favorites for Carlos Correa but the #Yankees and #Mets could "dabble" as well.
This would require convincing Correa to move from shortstop to third base in deference to Lindor, yet the word last offseason was that he would be willing to make that move for the "perfect situation." With the right offer, the Mets could perhaps be that team.
Just think of a Correa-Lindor partnership on the left side of the infield. In addition to two of Puerto Rico's finest, they have six All-Star nods, three Gold Gloves and 339 home runs between them. They're also just 28 and 29 years old.
The Mets could otherwise kick the tires on All-Star center fielder Bryan Reynolds, who wants out of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Especially if they were to put No. 1-ranked catching prospect Francisco Álvarez on the table, the Mets could meet Pittsburgh's reported "[Juan] Soto-type" asking price.
Heck with it. Let's throw another superstar-caliber hitter out there: Rafael Devers.
The Boston Red Sox want to extend the slugging third baseman, but the frankly insulting offer they made Xander Bogaerts before he left for San Diego bodes ill for extension talks that haven't been going well to begin with.
Should the writing on the wall that Devers isn't going to stay with Boston beyond his walk year in 2023 get even easier to read, the Mets would be an ideal trading partner if the Red Sox decide it's time to go the Mookie Betts route. If not Álvarez, the Mets could dangle well-regarded (and, notably, MLB-ready) third base prospect Brett Baty.
If Correa and Reynolds are far-fetched ideas, then Devers is surely a farther-fetched one. Yet it doesn't seem like a reach to label the odds of one of these things happening as "non-zero." And, well, can anyone really blame us for thinking so big?
Cohen and the Mets clearly have the resources to make big things happen. And with him and team so firmly in the mood to make such things happen, it would be a disappointment if they stopped before absolutely nothing was left to chance.
Mets' Updated Pitching Rotation, Payroll After Reported Koudai Senga Contract
Dec 11, 2022
YOKOHAMA, JAPAN - AUGUST 07: Pitcher Kodai Senga #21 of Team Japan throws in the sixth inning against Team United States during the gold medal game between Team United States and Team Japan on day fifteen of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Yokohama Baseball Stadium on August 07, 2021 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. (Photo by Koji Watanabe/Getty Images)
The New York Mets continue to spend this winter, signing Japanese pitcher Koudai Senga to a five-year, $75 million contract, per SNY's Andy Martino.
The Mets now have a 2023 luxury-tax payroll around $350 million, per Tim Healey of Newsday. The team is subject to the competitive balance tax after exceeding the $233 million threshold for next season.
New York's rotation for the 2023 campaign is headlined by reigning Cy Young winner Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, but Senga joins a talented group that also includes Carlos Carrasco and José Quintana.
Senga, Verlander and Quintana are all newcomers to Flushing. Verlander agreed to a two-year, $86.7 million deal with the Mets this winter, and Quintana agreed to a two-year, $26 million contract.
The Mets have the highest 2023 payroll in baseball, per Spotrac. The New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres round out the top-five highest payrolls for next season.
Senga, who turns 30 next month, spent the last 11 seasons with Nippon Professional Baseball's Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. During the 2022 season, he went 11-6 with a 1.94 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 156 strikeouts in 144 innings across 22 games.
After losing ace Jacob deGrom to the Texas Rangers in free agency, the Mets made starting pitching a priority in an attempt to replace the two-time Cy Young winner. Of course, the talent deGrom holds is irreplaceable, but the Mets have done a great job of filling out their rotation for 2023.
At this point, it seems the Mets could care less about having to pay the luxury tax, and they could continue adding top talent this winter as they aim to win their first World Series title since 1986.
The Mets finished the 2022 campaign with a 101-61 record—their first 100-win season since 1988. However, they fell to the San Diego Padres in the wild card.
Mets' 2023 Payroll to Exceed $300M, Be Highest Of All Time After Nimmo Contract
Dec 9, 2022
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 30: Brandon Nimmo #9 of the New York Mets reacts as a ball goes foul during the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on September 30, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
The New York Mets re-signed outfielder Brandon Nimmo to an eight-year, $162 million deal on Thursday, and the team's 2023 payroll now exceeds $300 million, per Tim Healey of Newsday.
New York's 2023 payroll will be the highest in baseball history, Healey added. It projects to be around $325 million, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
However, Sherman notes that the Mets "are going to do more" in free agency, so that figure could rise in the coming weeks and months.
In addition to inking Nimmo, the Mets also signed reliever David Robertson to a one-year, $10 million deal on Thursday, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.
The deals for Nimmo and Robertson are only the latest that Mets management has handed out this winter after losing ace Jacob deGrom to the Texas Rangers in free agency.
Earlier this week, the club signed reigning Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander to a two-year, $86.7 million deal. Star closer Edwin Díaz also put pen to paper on a five-year, $102 million deal, and José Quintana agreed to a two-year, $26 million contract.
The highest earners on the Mets' payroll in 2023 are Scherzer and Verlander, who will both receive $43.3 million next season, per Spotrac. Shortstop Francisco Lindor will earn $34.1 million in 2023, and outfielder Starling Marte will earn $20.8 million.
The 2023 luxury tax threshold is $233 million, and any team that exceeds that amount will need to pay the competitive balance tax. Considering the Mets have blown past that price point, they'll be subject to the tax.
Last season, six teams paid the luxury tax. The Mets were one of them, and considering they fell to the San Diego Padres in the National League Wild Card Series, it should really come as no surprise that the team's payroll will rise in 2023.
It appears the Mets aren't too worried about having to pay the tax as they're pursuing their first World Series title since 1986, and signing elite players to high-cost deals should allow them to do that.
Mets Rumors: Brandon Nimmo Re-Signs with NY on 8-Year, $162M Contract in Free Agency
Dec 9, 2022
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 08: Brandon Nimmo #9 of the New York Mets hits an RBI single during the fourth inning against the San Diego Padres in game two of the Wild Card Series at Citi Field on October 08, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Brandon Nimmo is returning to the New York Mets after the two sides agreed to an eight-year, $162 million contract on Thursday, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.
Nimmo is entering his age-30 season. He's played seven MLB seasons, all of them with the Mets. Last year, he hit .274 (.800 OPS) with 16 home runs, 64 RBI, a team-high 102 runs and a league-high seven triples.
For his career, he has hit .269 (.827 OPS) with 63 home runs and 213 RBI.
Hand and hamstring injuries cut his 2021 season to just 92 games. A bulging disc in his neck led to just 69 games in 2019. A hamstring injury and a partially collapsed lung in 2017 kept him sidelined as well.
Nimmo has hit well when playing full seasons, though. He had an .886 OPS in 2018 (140 games) alongside 17 homers and 47 RBI. During the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign (55 of 60 games), he posted a career-best .888 OPS.
He ended up third on the Mets this season in WAR (wins above replacement) among position players, per Baseball-Reference. His efforts led to New York posting a 101-61 record and earning its first playoff appearance since 2016.
Nimmo will be staying in Queens in hopes of helping lead the Mets to greater playoff heights.
They have a solid offensive core with Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, Jeff McNeil, Nimmo and others in the lineup. The team's pitching depth is in question behind Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, but it does return ace closer Edwin Díaz.
Ultimately, keeping Nimmo is a huge win for the Mets.
Passan: Shohei Ohtani Will Be Pursued By Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, Cubs in 2023 FA
Dec 7, 2022
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 29: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels makes a catch in between pitches during a game against the Oakland Athletics in the seventh inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 29, 2022 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
Should he hit the open market after the 2023 season, Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani will be on the radar for just about every team that can afford to sign him, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
"I don't want to say he's going to the Dodgers next year because every team...listen, the Yankees are gonna be on him," Passan said Wednesday on The Pat McAfee Show. "Steve Cohen, the Mets owner, the Mets are gonna be in on him. The Cubs are gonna be in on him. The Pirates are not gonna be in. ... Yeah, Red Sox will be on him."
Ohtani is a truly generational two-way talent who followed up his 2021 Most Valuable Player season by being nearly just as good in 2022.
The 28-year-old had 34 home runs, 95 RBI and a .273/.356/.519 slash line at the plate. On the mound, he went 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA and 219 strikeouts in 166 innings. He was runner-up to Aaron Judge in the MVP voting and placed fourth on the Cy Young ballot.
If he reaches free agency, then every single team in MLB should at least make overtures his way. Of course, his price tag will limit that pool substantially because The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported in June he might eclipse Max Scherzer's record-setting $43.3 million average salary.
There's still the chance Ohtani doesn't reach free agency.
General manager Perry Minasian told reporters in November the Angels have every intention of keeping him on the roster by Opening Day, and this is the same franchise that signed Mike Trout to the biggest contract in MLB history (12 years, $426.5 million).
Team owner Arte Moreno's exploration of a sale presents an obvious variable. But if he does truly intend to sell the Angels within the next few years, then he won't be the one paying Ohtani for a majority of the deal. And you'd think having Ohtani on the roster is something a new owner would prefer rather than trading him or letting him walk as a free agent.
In the event Ohtani plays out his final year with the Angels and doesn't agree to an extension, it could set off a bidding war for the ages next winter.
MLB Rumors: Koudai Senga Still Interests Mets After José Quintana Contract
Dec 7, 2022
YOKOHAMA, JAPAN - AUGUST 07: Pitcher Kodai Senga #21 of Team Japan throws in the sixth inning against Team United States during the gold medal game between Team United States and Team Japan on day fifteen of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Yokohama Baseball Stadium on August 07, 2021 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. (Photo by Koji Watanabe/Getty Images)
The New York Mets reportedly remain interested in signing Japanese pitcher Koudai Senga despite landing José Quintana in free agency.
Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported the Mets are still involved in the bidding for the prized right-hander.
Senga, 29, has been attempting to make the leap to the majors for years and is finally able to exercise his international free agent rights following the conclusion of the 2022 Japanese season. He's coming off a stellar campaign that saw him post a 11-6 and 1.94 ERA while striking out 156 strikeouts in 144 innings.
Agent Joel Wolfe said Senga has already received contract offers of five and six years from teams. Senga's main priority in picking his MLB fit will be teams that want to win now, which could make the Mets a favorite.
The Mets are almost certain to have baseball's largest payroll in 2023, with the Quintana contract taking them to around $298 million in Competitive Balance Tax payroll, per ESPN's Jeff Passan. Signing Senga would take them well over the $300 million mark.
Mets owner Steve Cohen has consistently maintained he will spend whatever is necessary to bring the Mets their first World Series since 1986. Stars Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander and Francisco Lindor are set to make $120.7 million in salary by themselves next season, which is more than the total payroll of all but 11 other teams.
If Cohen is willing to spend this much on a winner, adding Senga is arguably a must to ensure the strongest rotation possible. Verlander and Scherzer will open the 2023 season at a combined 78 years of age, and both have had injury issues of late. There's no guarantee they'll be available all season, so adding another power pitcher like Senga will help fortify the roster in case of injury.
Mets Rumors: José Quintana Agrees to 2-Year, $26M Contract After Stint with Cardinals
Dec 7, 2022
PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 11: Jose Quintana #62 of the St. Louis Cardinals delivers a pitch in the first inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on September 11, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
The New York Mets reportedly came to terms on a contract with free-agent starting pitcher José Quintana on Wednesday.
According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the deal is worth $26 million over two years.
Quintana, 33, is an 11-year MLB veteran who split last season between the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals after previous stints with the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels and San Francisco Giants.
In 32 starts split between the Pirates and Cards in 2022, Quintana enjoyed one of the best statistical seasons of his career.
The lefty posted a career-best 2.93 ERA while going 6-7 and compiling a 1.21 WHIP and 137 strikeouts over 165.2 innings. He was especially good in 12 starts for the Cardinals, going 3-2 with a 2.01 ERA.
Before last season, Quintana's best year unquestionably came in 2016 with the White Sox, when he went 13-12 with a 3.20 ERA and was named an All-Star for the first and only time to date.
The Colombia-born hurler figures to slot in as the Mets' No. 4 starter behind the recently signed Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Carlos Carrasco. He will also serve as the replacement for Taijuan Walker.
Walker was the Mets' No. 4 starter last season, but he signed a four-year, $72 million deal with the NL East rival Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday, per Passan.
MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reported the Mets were also in on former New York Yankees starter Jameson Taillon, but he signed a four-year, $68 million contract with the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, according to ESPN's Jesse Rogers.
Additionally, the Mets lost longtime starter Jacob deGrom to the Texas Rangers in free agency, but they signed Verlander away from the Houston Astros on a two-year deal as his replacement.
Despite the moves to add to the pitching staff, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported the Mets remain interested in Japanese pitcher Koudai Senga.
By and large, the Mets have merely shuffled around some pieces thus far in free agency and are in line to primarily return the same roster from last season.
While things were trending in a hugely positive direction for the Mets for much of the 2022 campaign, they blew a big lead in the NL East to the Atlanta Braves and were upset by the San Diego Padres in the National League Wild Card Series.
With Verlander and Quintana replacing deGrom and Walker, the Mets are undoubtedly hopeful that those tweaks will help take them to the next level in 2023.
Mets Rumors: NYM Still 'In On' Yankees FA Jameson Taillon After Verlander Contract
Dec 6, 2022
HOUSTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 19: Jameson Taillon #50 of the New York Yankees throws a pitch during the first inning against the Houston Astros in game one of the American League Championship Series at Minute Maid Park on October 19, 2022 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
The New York Mets reportedly remain in the running to sign free-agent starting pitcher Jameson Taillon, even in the wake of signing Justin Verlander on Monday.
According to SNY's Andy Martino, the Mets tried to sign Taillon before finalizing a deal with Verlander, and they are "still in on" the former New York Yankees hurler.
Martino added that the Mets will "100 percent" add another starting pitcher through free agency or trade, and that the organization is "deep into conversations" with multiple free-agent pitchers.
ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Monday that the Mets and Verlander, the former Houston Astros ace, agreed to a two-year, $86.66 million contract with a vesting third-year option.
Verlander will essentially serve as the replacement for former Mets ace Jacob deGrom, who signed a five-year, $185 million deal with the Texas Rangers.
The signing of Verlander leaves the Mets with a de facto starting rotation of Verlander, Max Scherzer, Carlos Carrasco, David Peterson and Tylor Megill. In addition to deGrom leaving for Texas, 2022 rotation members Chris Bassitt and Taijuan Walker are both free agents.
In Taillon, the Mets would be signing a 31-year-old veteran with six years of MLB experience as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Yankees.
Taillon was originally the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 MLB draft by the Pirates, and he appeared in four seasons for the team before getting traded to the Yanks.
He largely stayed healthy in his two seasons in the Bronx, which was a big step forward after missing all but seven starts in 2019 and the entire 2020 season due to surgery on his flexor tendon and UCL.
In his first season as a member of the Yankees in 2021, Taillon made 29 starts and went 8-6 with a 4.30 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 140 strikeouts over 144.1 innings.
Another year removed from his arm injury, Taillon was better last season, tying his career highs in starts (32) and wins (14). He also posted a 3.91 ERA and 1.13 WHIP, while striking out 151 in 177.1 innings pitched.
Taillon also saw the first playoff action of his career last season, appearing in one game out of the bullpen and starting another. He went 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA, although in his start he allowed just four hits and one earned run in 4.1 innings.
Overall, Taillon has made 143 regular-season starts during his career, registering a 51-35 record with a 3.84 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 8.1 strikeouts per nine innings.
Taillon has not developed into the ace the Pirates hoped they were getting when they drafted him second overall, but he is a solid mid-to-back-of-the-rotation starter who could fit in well with the Mets.
Slotting Taillon into the No. 4 spot behind Verlander, Scherzer and Carrasco would give the Mets plenty of rotation depth as they look to improve upon last season's result of falling in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
Yankees Rumors: Justin Verlander Talks Stalled over 3rd Year Before Mets Contract
Dec 5, 2022
HOUSTON, TEXAS - JUNE 07: Justin Verlander #35 of the Houston Astros walks to the dugout at the end of the second inning against the Seattle Mariners at Minute Maid Park on June 07, 2022 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
The New York Yankees balked at adding a third year to its contract offer for Justin Verlander, according to Brendan Kuty of NJ.com.
The New York Post's Jon Heyman reported Monday that the New York Mets agreed to a two-year, $86.6 million contract with Verlander. Should the right-hander hit 140 innings pitched in 2024, there is a $35 million option in his contract that will vest for 2025.
In a vacuum, you can understand why a team would hesitate to commit up to three years to Verlander. He turns 40 in February and underwent Tommy John surgery in 2020. Sooner or later, the three-time Cy Young Award winner will start to fall off, and it could be sooner rather than later.
However, this will be viewed by many as a missed opportunity for the Yankees.
The Bronx Bombers have the financial resources to not only sign Verlander but also insulate themselves from the consequences if he doesn't work out. They have a clear need to bolster the starting rotation, too.
There's no reason—other than the team ownership being too thrifty—for the franchise to not make this happen. Then you have the optics of the Yankees getting outgunned by the Mets, something that would've been unthinkable a generation ago.
The Yankees can afford literally any baseball player in all of creation yet they continue to be able to get away with comments like this with no pushback. https://t.co/SAxrKj0ml0
The price for the next best starting pitcher on the market might even be too high for New York.
Kuty reported left-hander Carlos Rodón is hoping to sign a six-year pact that averages around $30 million annually, and it's unclear whether the Yanks are "in for around that kind of commitment."
Fans have been growing restless for some time at what they perceive to be a lack of ambition from the Steinbrenners. As long as the team remains one of the most valuable in sports, the owners don't seem to care much.
