The New York Mets and Rick Porcello agree to one-year $10 million deal

New York Mets, Rick Porcello
Sep 20, 2019; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Rick Porcello (22) at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Right-handed starting pitcher Rick Porcello and the New York Mets are in agreement with a one-year contract, according to Ken Rosenthal. Meanwhile, Jon Heyman is reporting that the deal comes with a $10 million guarantee.

Just yesterday, the Mets signed fellow right-hander Michael Wacha to a pact with a $3 million guarantee. That makes two days in a row in which General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen has secured buy-low pitching targets to one-year deals.

After the news, the Mets have six capable starting pitchers in the depth chart. Jacob deGrom, the two-time Cy Young Award winner, is the clear ace. After that, Noah Syndergaard, Marcus Stroman, Steven Matz, Wacha, and now Porcello round out the rotation.

It is unclear if the Mets will run a six-man rotation or if one of Wacha and Porcello will be shifted to the bullpen if everybody is healthy.

In two days, the starting rotation went from being an area of need to a strenght. Now, the New York Mets can take their time to see how the relief pitching markets develops.

They re-signed righty reliever Brad Brach last week, and they are reportedly in on Dellin Betances.

A reliable arm

Porcello, who is 30-years old, just finished a long-term commitment with the Boston Red Sox. His 2019 was awful, with a 14-12 record and a 5.52 ERA (4.76 FIP.)

However, he was essentially league average the two seasons before that, and was excellent in 2016 when he won a Cy Young award. That year, he had a 22-4 record with a 3.15 ERA (3.40 FIP) and 5.1 fWAR.

He is known for his “rubber arm” and elite durability, which bodes well for the Mets. After all, he has made at least 30 starts in the last four seasons.

More amazingly, he has managed to pitch a minimum of 160 innings since 2009, his rookie year.

Porcello will bring stability to the New York Mets‘ rotation. Manager Carlos Beltran will know that he can count on the righty to take the bell week in, week out every fifth day. That’s a welcome addition.