If the Mets are to exceed expectations and compete for a playoff spot in what is shaping up to be a reset year, the starting rotation will need to play a big role, with several key members offering more than they deserve. would have to. It has been in recent seasons.
Two rookies, Luis Severino and Sean Manaea, and a holdover from last season, Jose Quintana, fit into that category.
And with the Mets’ pitchers and catchers required to arrive in Port St. Lucie on Monday and their first workouts scheduled for two days later, the team will soon know what its rotation will look like.
New president of baseball operations David Stearns, who is scheduled to address the media on Monday, will make his first offseason biggest deal by giving Severino a one-year, $13 million contract after a tough final year with the Yankees, who had his worst season. I made a bet. of his career.
Of the 140 starting pitchers who pitched 80 or more innings last season, only six had a higher ERA than Severino.
But it was only two seasons ago that Severino had a solid year in the Bronx, when he had more than solid command of his four-seam fastball and slider, pitching to a 3.18 ERA.
Those pitches had little effect last year for the right-hander, who turns 30 this month.
Severino hasn’t come close to pitching well and staying healthy for a full season since 2018, his second consecutive All-Star appearance with the Yankees.
And Manaea, another key addition to Stearns’ free agent rotation, signed a two-year, $28 million contract with a player opt-out following this year.
The 32-year-old left-hander had a strange 2023, his only season with the Giants.
After making some mechanical changes last offseason to gain speed, Manaea had a terrible start to the year.
In his first 23 games, he had a 5.86 ERA and a .779 OPS against batters.
However, starting with his excellent long relief performance on July 29, Manaea pitched 4/3 scoreless innings and ended his 2013 season in strong fashion.
Manaea posted a 2.61 ERA over his final 14 games and held batters to a .596 OPS.
It was all part of a season in which Manaea played in 37 games and started just 10.
Manaea is expected to get more starts as Queen’s rotation is currently constructed, but he was slightly more effective as a relief pitcher in 2023.
One of the Mets’ underachieving free agents last year, Quintana should bring more to the team in 2024 than he did a year ago, when he was sidelined until July after suffering a stress fracture in his ribcage in the spring. is. .
Quintana pitched fairly well upon his return, but his season was already in turmoil.
His injury, combined with the trade-deadline departures of Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, resulted in a decidedly average Mets rotation last year, ranking 13th in ERA (4.20) and 18 WAR, according to FanGraphs. Finished in 1st place.
The Mets won’t be able to advance to the playoffs this year with a similar performance.
Perhaps Severino’s performance last year was an anomaly, or at least approaching the form and durability he showed earlier in his career.
Manaea’s second-half surge may be an encouraging sign, but the Giants’ pitching in spacious Oracle Park (3.45 ERA) was much better than it was on the road (5.37 ERA).
And the concern surrounding Quintana is that he is 35 years old and has pitched more than 103 innings just once since 2019.
The Mets announced that running back Austin Adams has been granted waivers and permanently transferred to Triple-A Syracuse. He had been assigned to clear a roster spot for left-handed reliever Jake Diekman.
