1:23pm: It’s a one-year, $2.5MM deal for Teheran that comes with an additional $450K available in incentives, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports. With six days of the season already elapsed, that’d come out to $2.419MM in prorated, guaranteed money for Teheran (assuming the deal becomes official today). The Mets are in the fourth and final tier of luxury penalization and are in their third straight year of penalization, meaning they’re paying a 110% tax on any dollars spent. That’s about $2.661MM in taxes, bringing the total tab on Teheran to about $5.08MM for the Mets.
12:50pm: The Mets have agreed to a deal with free agent righty Julio Teheran, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The Mato Sports Management client opted out of a minor league deal with the Orioles late in camp and has been exploring the market for new opportunities. It’s a big league deal for Teheran, per SNY’s Andy Martino, who reported earlier in the week that the Mets were in talks with the veteran right-hander.
After barely seeing the big leagues in 2021-22, the 33-year-old had a somewhat resurgent year with the 2023 Brewers — where current Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns previously ran baseball operations (and served in an advisory capacity last year). The former Braves top prospect tossed 71 2/3 innings with a 4.40 ERA in Milwaukee, striking out just 17.4% of his opponents but offsetting that lackluster mark with a sterling 4.5% walk rate.
Formerly one of the game’s top-ranked prospects, Teheran broke into the majors and hit the ground running in Atlanta. From 2013-14, he posted a 3.03 ERA in 63 starts. Over a seven-year period in Atlanta, spanning 2013-19, Teheran worked to an overall 3.64 ERA in 1334 innings. He’s never missed bats at an especially premium level, but Teheran has long had strong command and, at least earlier in his career, excelled at avoiding hard contact.
That said, last year’s showing in Milwaukee was the first time Teheran has had any consistent success since making 33 starts with a 3.81 ERA for the 2019 Braves. He signed a one-year deal in Anaheim prior to the 2020 season but was shelled for an ERA north of 10.00 in his 31 1/3 frames.
The Mets’ rotation has been hit hard by injuries early on. Kodai Senga suffered a shoulder strain early in spring training, leading to a nearly month-long shutdown. (He’s since resumed throwing.) That injury pushed Tylor Megill into the starting rotation, but he suffered a shoulder strain on his own in his first start of the season and is now on the injured list and in the midst of a weeklong shutdown period himself.
Presumably, given that this is a big league deal and that Teheran got some work in with Baltimore during spring training, he’ll be an option to step into the fifth rotation spot in Queens. Teheran pitched 13 1/3 official innings with the Orioles in camp, holding opponents to five runs (3.38 ERA) on nine hits — albeit with a lackluster 10-to-7 K/BB ratio in that time (17.5% strikeout rate, 12.3% walk rate). If he indeed steps onto the starting staff, Teheran will be joined by Jose Quintana, Adrian Houser, Sean Manaea and Luis Severino.
If Dallas Keuchel can still get a chance to pitch in the MLB then why can’t he!?!?!
I’d take him over Keuchel without question at this point. If Keuchel loses any more velocity he’ll hardly be qualified to pitch BP.
It’s never a good sign for the season when you are already picking through the scrap heap for pitching during the first week of the season.
They were already picking the scrap heap for pitching all offseason. Just an extension of that. Practically their entire rotation (minus Senga, who is injured) is made up of guys who, if they pitch well in the first half of the season, will be shipped off for prospects at the deadline.
@deej I hear Vince Velasquez return date from UCL surgery is mid-June. That is roughly 2 months from now and he’s available at a cheap price. And then there is Bauer who would take a league minimum. Mets just seem to be in “no man’s land”.
Too many words for such an insignificant signing…
Teheran is teherrible.
Stearns taking care of his guys. Unfortunately not his fans.
He’ll be doing both next offseason when they sign Burnes
might as well rename the team to the New York Brewers…
I do not miss DS I Wish you guys would have traded for Old Yeller and Gotten Counsel as well!
they just need a warm body to get them through the few turns. If he can be the same guy he was last year, he beats the hell out of bullpen games
Just don’t start him vs. PHI, where Bryce absolutely owns him. True story: Bryce’s youngest kid’s nickname is Julio. It’s caused much confusion in grade school for him.
Julio Jarper
I wonder what the total $ is and if he has significant incentives for IP, maybe for ERA under 4.50, 4.25, 4.00
Potentially Lucchesi, Megill, Butto can fill out bullpen if some RPs falter or get injured which is probably inevitable.
This signing and getting JDMart in the batting order by next week should give the NYM a chance to get back to .500 and some stability.
I know ATL, PHI is NOT shaking in their boots.
A Big Yawn
NYM pitching coach Hefner is gonna earn his money trying to get the best results out of this group.
Stats like ERA and K’s can’t be used for incentive clauses. Teheran’s deal probably includes an obtainable IP clause you’ve mentioned.
I was just thinking the NYM should take a page out of the TB gamebook and try using openers for 2-3 IP maybe once or twice a week..
Candidates Sevy, Butto & Lucch
Guerrilla managing. Desperate times …
It’s not going to help when they average only 2 runs per game. Still plenty of time to turn things around.
Another has been.
Well, better than the Never Was Tomas7
Basically the same guarantee as Clevinger lol Mets
If this was 2012, it would be great news for Mets fans.
If he pitches like he did last yr it’s good news. Many teams do much worse with back of rotation than how he pitched in 2023
$89M+ just in CB tax. What a mess.
So cute to see Cohen thinking in 2020 when it was clear he’d have difficulty hiring anyone, “it’s baseball. I run an investment fund. How hard can it be…?”
That’s Cohens lunch money.
@txman22 Sure, but it’s also a strict limitation, as it wiped out any chance the Mets will contend in 2024 and 2025, where 2025 will be spent getting under the LT threshold and seeing if they can crank out a couple of position players and a #4 and a #5 starter who might be regular contributors by 2027.
It also wrecked a lot of what was left of the careers of their current nucleus.
In 2027 Nimmo will be 34, Lindor 33, McNeil 35, Senga 34, Alonso 32 (assuming), Diaz 33. That would be the oldest nucleus in baseball (it’s not good enough to merit “core”) and it will be making $130 million a year.
The drag Cohen’s failures put on the Mets will last at least the first 7 years he will have owned the team.
If you’re running $300m payrolls it doesn’t matter that much if your effective payroll is under $250m because you’re carrying half a dozen old players on their way out.
Would of been better to let Buto throw, he’s got better stuff and deserves a chance
Agree. Does the Mets FO even like Buto? Heck, if you don’t want him the Orioles will take him off your hands. Stowers for Butto straight up?
Butto may be starting the second game today
His MLB numbers are better than 100% of these jealous commenters saying how terrible he is lol
he also probably making 10000% more than most of those jealous commenters to be terrible
Well there’s $5 million down the drain
He’s only 33 and was decent last season. This isn’t all that bad of a signing.
Mets fans must be the most delusional fans in all of sports
It’s a requirement.
That’s Cohens vacation money.
Look at all the $$saved by not getting Yamamoto & his 7+ ERA.
90+ losses coming for the Mets…
Lol @ all the hopeless brainless muts fans who actually thought they might compete this yr
This tm will challenge 62 mets for futility
Casey stengel’s laughing in his grave
Hahahahahahaha MUTS! even funnier than yesterday!
But he gets extra credit for punctuation.
@Johnny utah…why so aggressive towards Mets fans, bro? Is your magic Mormon underwear chafing you and causing frustration or is it the fact that the biggest sport in Utah is polygamy? Dude, you’re such a Salt Lake City Buzz kill.
Little negative about Utah?
Both Megill brothers are injured!
Another huge mistake by management; so painful being a long time Mets fan. The GM’s change but the stage remains the same!
This season is a waste anyway why not let some young kids cut their teeth now instead of wasting innings on a has been that never was.
I guess that’s part of being a fan; I am stuck with it but boy it …..
A has been that never was?
Never been that was twice an All-Star and started 6 consecutive Opening Days for the Atlanta Braves?
Had some good years! But , long time ago!
If they aren’t an unserious franchise they will sign Trevor Bauer… right now!
If they weren’t not an ungood franchise then they won’t sign bauer
Two SP losses qualifies as “hit hard by injuries”?
Threes SPs(Peterson) and yes losing 60% of a starting rotation is rather significant.
Yeah small asterisk to that 60%. It’s their #1, #6, and #8 guys on the depth chart.m
A rotation is usually 5 guys and 3/5 = 60% so good job there I guess.
Ok, forgot about Peterson, though I would argue that Megill and Peterson were never part of the starting five, so at best, the Mets have lost one member of their intended rotation, which is nothing all that notable; D-backs, Cubs, Yankees, Phillies and plenty of others are in the same boat, whereas a team like the Marlins can certainly claim they’ve been “hard hit by injuries” to their starting rotation.
Mets are literally the definition for the Island of Misfit Toys: not a terrible signing, but not one that amounts to “fixing” problems
An actual literal definition for the island of misfit toys can be found here: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolph_the_Red-Nosed_Rein…
Literally literally used to mean literally, now it literally means figuratively. It sucks
Good point, kinda like calling them “Schmets,” ain’t it?
Point is, Mets should’ve kept one of Verlander or Scherzer. Trading one was fine, but both was a nightmare. now they are piecing guys together to get a rotation that isn’t even half decent. When Quintana is your #1 (i understand there are injuries), that’s a bad sign and Teheran doesn’t move the needle.
Mets gotta stop making depth choices and have to start making winning choices.
LMAO no not like calling them Schmets
Can’t trust wikipedia
Watched him in Milwaukee last year. He was reliable, when healthy to pitch 6innings. However, he got hurt again, and was very average Ham and Egger! Strictly a bandage unless he improves over last year!
This guy over Bauer and Cleavinger? I should get paid $10 million a year, I’m a better GM then Dollar Tree David
No.
It is more than I expected them to pay but in a world where Kyle Gibson always gets 10m+ I can’t really see a problem with this. His velo isn’t down as much as one might think and his control is at an all time high. He could be serviceable. His WHIP was good and he struckout quite a bit in minors, surprisingly. He could learn how to make due with what he has.
My sources tell me he’s learning to throw the knuckleball.
wait,Teheran isn’t a Yankee castoff,why are they signing him?