The Mets are in the market for pitching, reports SNY’s Andy Martino, who notes that they’re more focused on rentals than players controlled beyond 2021. The Mets recently added ageless southpaw Rich Hill, who made his club debut yesterday with a five-inning start, but they remain in the market for pitching of all kinds. The Mets’ injured list for pitchers is extensive, with Jacob deGrom, Carlos Carrasco, David Peterson, Robert Stock, Noah Syndergaard, Jordan Yamamoto, Robert Gsellman, Stephen Nogosek, Corey Oswalt, and Sean Reid-Foley. Dellin Betances and Joey Lucchesi are out for the season due to Tommy John surgery, but Carrasco is close to making his Mets debut.
According to Martino, the Mets “intend to check in” with the Nationals about ace Max Scherzer, though such a trade would be a tough pill to swallow for the Nats. Twins righty Jose Berrios is not a Mets target at this time, says Martino, in fitting with his point that New York prefers rentals so as not to deplete their farm system.
So what might the market for rental starting pitchers look like? Narrowing to teams with less than a 10% shot at the playoffs according to FanGraphs, Scherzer, Jon Gray, Zach Davies, Charlie Morton, Drew Smyly, Mike Minor, Matt Harvey, Adam Wainwright, Jordan Lyles, Tyler Anderson, J.A. Happ, Andrew Heaney, Jose Urena, Jake Arrieta, Carlos Martinez, Jon Lester, Alex Cobb, Dylan Bundy, Michael Pineda, Danny Duffy, Jose Quintana, Kwang Hyun Kim, and Trevor Cahill fit the bill. Not all of those pitchers are necessarily healthy or effective, but we’re casting a wide net.
Potential rental relievers include Raisel Iglesias, Daniel Hudson, Ian Kennedy, Ryan Tepera, Andrew Chafin, Dan Winkler, Steve Cishek, Hansel Robles, Brad Hand, Josh Tomlin, Bryan Shaw, Greg Holland, Yimi Garcia, Alex Colome, Daniel Norris, Tony Watson, Jhoulys Chacin, Mychal Givens, Ross Detwiler, Joakim Soria, Chasen Shreve, Wade Davis, Andrew Miller, Derek Holland, Blake Parker, Shane Greene, and Erasmo Ramirez.
Can’t see the Nats dealing Scherzer if they didn’t deal Harper when they had a chance. I definitely can’t see them dealing him to the Mets since they are in division.
I think they’ll add a depth piece like Zach Davies just to give them some time to get their other guys healthy. More than anything, they just need to stay afloat until DeGrom, Carrasco and Syndergaard can contribute. Even if two of those three come back healthy, they should be fine.
I think they’ll be trying to add one more significant piece on the offensive side. My prediction is Trevor Story.
Trevor Story, Zach Davies and a bullpen depth piece or two and that’ll be the Mets deadline action.
??? They can’t learn from their mistake by not trading Harper? Since they didn”t trade Harper, that means they will never trade a player on the last year if their contract?
I don’t think it’s about learning from a mistake as much as it is an owner like Lerner having too much pride to do wave the white flag or give up his cornerstone. Yes, it would be smart to trade Scherzer, but when it comes to billionaires, intelligence and pride don’t always run hand in hand.
I actually like Davies as he is a solid rotation arm that won’t cost them anything. I’m interested in seeing a potential upgrade in the outfield, specifically right field since Conforto is at this point an automatic out. A guy like Ketel Marte would be perfect for the Mets but I doubt that happens
I like a Bryant/Davies/Tepera acquisition for them. Give up two prospects in the 6-10 range for them. Bryant fits the Mets team very well. With Davis having injury issues and struggling on defense, Bryant could spell him there, as well as covering up for any issues the Mets have in the outfield. Davies gives them that depth starter piece that can give them 5 decent innings and keep them in games, and Tepera would just be a hopeful depth piece that you hope can bridge some 7th innings for you.
You would have to include Davis along with Prospects. the MetsTop pitching prospects are coming off Tommy J procedures.
You also would have thought the Cubs would have received a piece like Cronenworth back in the Darvish deal, but instead they just got back a bunch of teenagers. I don’t think the Cubs would require Davis back in the deal if they could build their system with the return otherwise.
Where is Davis struggling on defense? He’s made some spectacular plays. Ok, Bryant is a right handed outfield bat, but strictly a rental. Dom Smith and Nimmo handle lefties just fine and Conforto is heating up. We are talking a little over 60 games to go here and the emphasis and focus needs to be on adding cheap arms.
Bryant can just as easily go 2 for 30 with that stupid upper cut swing. Against playoff pitching, I’d rather see Davis’ line drive swing to Bryant’s Kingman-esque cut.
People don’t talk about chemistry enough, which this Mets team really seems to have. I worry about bringing in a superstar rental who would bump others out of playing time for no other reason than getting Bryant at bats. It messes with heads, timing and egos. NY is in first BECAUSE of the playing time received by Pillar, Villar and Guillorme. Guys like Davis, Conforto and Nimmo are just starting to find their rhythm at the plate. Sitting those 6 more often doesn’t help them.
Conforto is not hot, he had one good game about a week ago. Hes batting 200 again
Davis has a .917 fielding % so far at third base this year.. that is terrible. Small sample size. Career his fielding % is .948, which is also terrible, so yes, I’d say regardless of the cute plays you’ve seen him make, he’s very bad.
And you want to talk about chemistry? What sends a better message to your team: ownership has your back and will add pieces OR let’s just see what happens. You’re acting like the Mets are a shoe in for the playoffs. They are not yet. Remember when Kuechel called out Astros ownership for not adding at the deadline, because he thought they needed to add? August came around, they added Verlander. Won the World Series. Cubs were the best team in the NL, great chemistry, added the best closer in MLB in Chapman, won the World Series – even with Chapman having previous issues with Cubs players – specifically Rizzo. Royals added Cueto at the deadline to an already stacked team. Almost every championship team makes a significant add at the deadline to solidify their playoff dreams. Nothing to do with chemistry, everything to do with winning.
Would not rely on numbers to evaluate Davis’s fielding at 3B. He’s bounced around positions and not had time to play significant numbers of games consistently. I’d look to scouting reports for his potential at 3B and ability to improve with practice at one position.
Davis struggling on defense? If you watched the game yesterday, he threw to home as opposed to turning a double play – not getting the out at home and giving away two outs. He’s just not made for third base.
His arm is the one thing scouts love. Fielding the ball cleanly and getting the ball out of his glove is where he really struggles. He usually double pumps/clutches and misses a lot of outs.
They should give Davis a shot at right field and let Conforto go at the end of the year and not re sign him..
Even if Davis has to do a short minor league stint in RF it will be worth it at this point; he is not a 3B. Try him in RF and hope for the DH in NL
They got back Davies too. A couple of those teenagers are already flying up the prospect rankings. Fangraphs has Preciado (18) as the Cubs number two prospect after their updates. Maybe, Hoyer knows what he’s doing.
Kudos to the Mets FO for not caving to the temptation of extending Conforto last winter. He’s turned into Chris Davis……or Khris Davis for that matter.
Bryant is a career .951 at 3rd, with a large sample size, so I guess he’s been terrible at it for a long time.
Agreed. Bryant is not a good defensive 3B. He is passable, but a much better outfielder than 3B.
@solaris602 – I expect Conforto to be signed to an extension. Both sides have expressed interest in doing so.
The lack of extension to this point isn’t a matter of the Mets not caving, but rather the Lindor negotiations taking almost to opening day which bumped the Conforto negotiations till after the season because Conforto doesn’t want to negotiate during the season.
Conforto’s struggles this season on offense, likely reduces the size and dollars of an extension, but I still very much think they will work out a deal. His bat will come around, and his leadership and reputation as a person are deeply valued by the Mets. His defense is highly valued.
@canosucks – I doubt the Mets move Davis back to the outfield, especially right field.
The smart thing would be to keep him. He’s been playing a solid third base since his return from injury, is hitting well, and with the DH coming to the NL, perhaps as soon as 2022, Davis could also DH.
@padam –
Davis has been playing a good third base since his return from injury.
I also saw that play from yesterday, which went as fielder’s choice. Rather than opt for double play possibility on a the ball not hit hard enough to assume one, or even an out at second, he tried nailing someone at home. That throw was a little wide and the runner scored.
Davis is much more valuable then any Cub rental or any two. Much
Conforto – who’s always been extremely streaky – has gotten hot this past week. But we do need another versatile RH bat.
I mean, not dealing a guy going into his age 26 season as opposed to not dealing a guy going into his age 37 season are two completely different things
This is a bozo take. Who cares about trading him in the division? That’s a concern when you’re worried about a player beating you year after year after you’ve traded him. Scherzer is a 36 year old free agent to be who has a zero percent chance of resigning with the Mets (should the Nats trade him). In no way will this line of thinking preclude them from trading him in the division if the return is right. This is also in no way like the Harper situation (who ended up signing in the division anyway).
Good point, James. I might add that the Nats would love to get a guy from the Mets (for Scherzer) who turns out to be a stud and wails on the Mets fits for several years.
if not big Max and the Mets want a rental, the Sox would likely send them Garrett Richards. Lol.
Makes sense. They’re 4 games up. They have a lot of decisions to make in regards of who to sign next year. Their pitching staff is amazing when healthy, but it’s never healthy. They only need pitchers because of injuries. Mets don’t need to make any blockbusters here. They already spent a ton in the offseason. Mets are in a position to compete for a long time. They don’t need to splurge for 1 year.
Only spent a ton on one player though; I can’t even eat Lindor chocolates any more! I like the rental approach as this season is far from a lock and no sense getting buried anymore with less prospects and more salary.
It doesn’t make much sense for Atlanta, Philadelphia or Washington to help the Mets win a division that any of the three aforementioned teams could win. If you do, it’s only for a return that bleeds the Mets dry.
The only way I think a deal could make sense for both NL East clubs would be to add a third team. Otherwise, nobody wants to help a rival while hurting themselves.
@stupendous. Mets aren’t going anywhere? If the Mets just play .500 ball the rest of the way, the Phils would have to go 36-28 the rest of the way to catch them. Keep in mind that the Phils haven’t finished over .500 in any season in ages, their bullpen is horrible, they need three starters and Nola is no longer an ace. Their defense is bad, Bohm is not a 3b on a contender (yet), they have no CF’er and have to figure out a way to hold other teams under 10 runs at home.
Post season is about three starting pitchers, bullpen match ups, ‘mojo’, contact hitting and momentum.
Jim, im a fellow Mets fan but Wheeler and Nola is better than Stro, Walker, etc….i think our team is better than the Phillies but, without Degrom, i would take Nola and Wheeler over the Mets starters
Mets arent going nowhere anyway so why bother. Why would you want to bring in more pitchers anyway dont make sense. I could see hiring a relief pitcher but they have starters especially with Thor and Carasco coming back.
Don’t be so sure. The Mets have not impressed this year, other than the fact that they’ve survived some brutal injuries. But they remind me of teams like the 2006 or 2011 Cardinals. A decent team that squeaks into the playoffs and then wins it all. If the Mets pitching gets healthy, they can beat any team in the league. They’re certainly not better than the Dodgers, Giants or Padres. I don’t even think they’re definitively better than the Brewers or Reds. But if they get healthy, they have a pitching staff that can carry them, and their lineup (although struggling for much of the year) is solid enough to score some runs. They key of course is winning the division. 4 games seems safe, but the Mets have a brutal August. If PHI or ATL gets hot, the Mets can be buried in 3rd.
Fair points.
lol. They are as good as anyteam you mentioned. Don’t be fooled by their record with their AAA club.
@von. And to your case in point, they have played quite well against the current contending teams, both home and away.
Mets will need another starter if they plan on winning the division or more. I wouldn’t count on Synderguard or corrasco. Walkers last 2 starts were not very good. Our bullpen is hurting so if our starters can’t go at least 5 we’re gonna need help especially with no run support.
That’s my opinion
I predict Davies.
id be shocked if WSN deals Scherzer to the Mets under any circumstances, even for a king’s random
Rizzo is not going to allow that.
the owner is the real roadblock in DC
I agree
I never say never but i dont think the Mets can put together the bast package. Other teams looking have better farms.
bad article – including Braves players as options? Come on. Huge 5 game series that unless it results in a Mets sweep, why would the Braves consider the Mets uncatchable with the lack of depth in rotation? Can we focus in on more realistic targets?.
Like I said, 10% playoff odds cutoff
It’s a static picture. By the end of the week, the percentages may change, but, as of this moment, the Braves’ odds are low and their front office should be preparing either way.
I think Greg Holland and Wade Davis will probably retire. Wade Davis did come in and save Holland’s butt the other night With his first save since opening day. I probably wouldn’t trade either one of them because I don’t think they be would reliable enough for a playoff team. It’s kind of hit and miss with them like Holland blowing a couple of saves this year And nearly blowing the game Saturday night if Wade hadn’t saved him.
They both need to be DFA’d along with Ervin Santana.
The issue for the Mets is they are very lucky to be sitting in 1st Place with their flaws. If they don’t go “all in” at the trading deadline, their competitors (Phillies and Braves) might and the Division is in reality there for the taking.
The division is there for the taking, but I still don’t think it makes sense for the Mets to go all in. Not this year. Not unless they’re acquiring players under team control for multiple years.
If not now, when will it ever be the time to go “all in”?
They need to add frontline SP, RP perhaps a closer, and a bat.
Adam Frazier would have been a nice add.
When? When they are much better, that’s when. Going all in now pretty much guarantees a rebuild as soon as next year. A team on pace for 90 wins with a less than full minor league system is not an “all in” team. I’d rather build a dynasty than bet all my chips on this season. Basically, VonPurple sums it up well below.
I’m with Cosmo. I think the Mets are good enough to win a bad division now. Pitching depth is a concern with all the injuries, but I don’t think they should be spending a whole lot now when they have a lot of decisions to make in the offseason. This is a Mets team that could contend for the next 5 years. If they splurge now, they’ll have a tough time sustaining the cost of that.
For rental relievers, I think Tyler Clippard could also be on that list. He was just activated from the 60-day last week. If he shows he’s still capable this week, he could be an option for someone.
Matt Harvey is a fun name on that list.
Forgot to mention Wily Peralta would be a good rent a pitcher always has been a good ground ball pitcher.
You can take the Cards pitchers off there. They are not folding
Schezer has his 10-5 rights. I only see him being moved to a championship type team. The Mets are in the same division so I doubt that happens. The Padres are running low on ability to add big money players. Thats why they are trying to unload Hosner. I see him with either the Red sox or Dodgers.
I mean obviously the Mets would have have to compete with other teams as to what farm hands can give up to win the better assets available. At a min beat projected draft capital teams receive when quality free agents walk as well as best another team trying to trade. None the less I don’t a premium player going to Mets at this stage.
Wow, the amount of injuries the Mets have to that starting staff is astonishing. Mets seem to be an organization that truly may be cursed.. Literally the whole entire pitching staff, and then some is injured. It’s ridiculous. Jays fan, I knew they had injuries, but not this much. Damn.
I can’t see the Nats trading Scherzer to the Mets unless the Mets offer a ridiculous prospect haul.
With Stroman and Syndergaard free agents this winter I’m surprised the Mets aren’t more interested in controllable arms. Maybe the cost is more than they are willing to spend
Unless the Braves plan another year out of Charlie Morton he is a guy that contenders need, he is pitching as well as he ever has.
As a Brave fan I don’t see them adding in serious.
Hill was a dismal pickup by the Mets. 5.40 ERA in his last 7 starts, almost 2 HR per 9 ip, the oldest pitcher in the majors, and then Rojas did his best to sabotage what value Hill still does have by not only sending him out in the 6th (Hill has lasted more than 5 innings just once in his last 7 starts), but actually leaving Hill in to bat with runners on 1st and 2nd and two out in the bottom of the 5th in a 1-0 game.
Put another way, what was the least the Mets FO could have done by way of an addition to the rotation, even assuming they’re still aiming for a Jon Gray-caliber SP? The answer is “Rich Hill.”
Incredible. “Alderson’s Disease” still plagues the team. Now we’re hearing the Mets are going to go cheap, again, not considering the likes of Berrios even though they’re desperate for an inexpensive TOR starter in 2022.
They were desperate for a starter and Hill is a starter. I’m sorry, but Alderson is being prudent by not giving away the future for a big name. I know some fans want every deal to be a blockbuster and for the future to work itself out, but this is real life. Alderson is playing it smart. I want this team competing for years, not blowing it all to slightly improve the team this year.
Why is Derek Holland on this list of upgrades or pitchers available. Teams gotta stop giving this guy a shot, it’s crazy to me that any team would find him a upgrade over any AAA or AA lefty they have in there own system.
BIG SEXY! Bring it!
The Mets ought to get Gray from Colorado. They’d probably give him up for a used popcorn machine. After all, they gave away Arenado and cash for some strays.