Port St. Lucy – During the second winter, the Mets avoided the high end of the free agent market when dealing with their pitching needs.
Blake Snell, Max Fried and Corbin Burns were one of the most attractive possibilities, but baseball business president David Stearns is smart without the massive outlay for pitchers in his 30s I was stuck with what most worked last offseason, when I was looking for small deals.
As a result, there is a risk that the Mets will be insufficient, especially in starting rotations. This will be an important point of training this spring. This began with Monday's reporting date for Clover Park pitchers and catchers.
This is the rotation that is expected to start in the top six with Kodai Senga, Sean Mania, Frankie Montas, Clay Holmes, David Peterson and Griffin Canning. Depth options include Tylor Megill, Paul Blackburn and Jose Buttó.
“I think we have some great people — it's annoying,” catcher Francisco Alvarez said Monday. “We're the best rotation and I think we have one of the best pitching guys in the league. [pitching coach Jeremy Hefner]So I think it's a very good thing. ”
Many of the plot surrounds Senga.
Last year, at this point, the Japanese right-hander was a famous element of the rotation after pitching to 2.98 ERA following his rookie season and scoring 202 strikeouts in 166¹/₃ innings.
However, early in camp, Senga's shoulder discomfort began to open the season with an injured list, and following various setbacks, he didn't pitch to the team until July 26th.
However, Senga's misery was not behind him. In that six innings of start against the Braves, he bouncing off the mound to avoid infielders coming in with a pop-up, causing the left calf to tense. Senga was not seen again until the postseason. Without full rehabilitation, he pitched to a 12.60 ERA on three appearances.
There are questions about Senga's effectiveness when he returns, as well as whether he can rely on a significant number of innings following his light workload last year.
“I'm very pleased that he's in good health, so I think Senga's rotation will be better than last year,” Alvarez said. “He's going to help the team a lot.”
A major investment in Stearns' starting rotation was a three-year contract worth $75 million to re-sign Sean Mania.
The left-handed was out of the breakout season and appeared as a team ace in the second half after a low slot delivery. Manaair, 33, led the Mets with 181²/₃ innings pitched.
The Mets hope that Frankie Montas (who has arrived on a two-year deal worth $34 million) will become the version of Luis Severino this season.
Severino has successfully signed a three-year deal with AS worth $67 million. Montas pitched to a 4.84 ERA in 30 starts for the Reds and the Brewers, but Mets officials are looking at a live arm that could be higher.
Clay Holmes was a two-time All-Star bailout with the Yankees, but is now getting a rotation opportunity.
“It's something you want to see because it's not an easy transition,” Reliever Stanek said. “But if there's someone who can do that, he's a big guy – I'll bet on a guy on a big physical guy who has something to play with. He has a high bullpen speed and it's the tactile sensation of spinning. Even if you drop it… he has all the tools to make it work. I'm not going to bet on him.”
David Peterson was a steady performer in the rotation last season, leading all Mets starting pitchers with a 2.90 ERA in 21 starts. Left-handedness was also an important part of the bullpen in the postseason.
Canning arrived on a one-year contract worth $4.25 million after pitching for the 5.19 ERA in 32 appearances for Angels. The Mets are intrigued by his advantages and the fact that he pitched 171²/₃ innings last season.
“What I'm looking at is someone who has proven healthy?” Stanek said. “That's a big thing. You have a lot of people who are in the rotation and those who are going to be in a healthy mix. They eat innings. It's huge, people who have good stuff, and there. I'll go from here.”
