Multiple reports just now are indicating that the New York Mets officially signed left-handed starting pitcher, Jose Quintana. The deal is for two years and worth $26 million.
This move certainly bolsters the middle of the rotation with some more depth. Rumors continued to suggest that the Mets were looking all along to keep adding to their starting pitching staff.
What to know about Mets’ new LHP Jose Quintana:
Quintana is 33 and turns 34 in January. He has 11 years of major league experience. Over his career, Quintana has posted a 3.75 ERA and an 89-87 record.
He is coming off of a strong year in 2022 in which he posted a 2.93 record. Quintana pitched 165.2 innings last year over 32 starts, totaling 137 strikeouts. Surprisingly, he finished with a 6-7 record.
The mid-rotation options on the free agent for the Mets were slowly starting to come off. Taijuan Walker left last night. Jameson Taillon, Andrew Heaney, and Kyle Gibson had all recently signed.
The average annual salary of Quintana with his 2.93 ERA a year ago of $13 million is fairly strong value for the Mets compared to the $18 million Walker got and the $17 million Taillon got. Quintana got a similar deal to the one Heaney signed (two years, $25 million) yesterday.
From here, it will be interesting to see if the Mets add yet another arm to their starting rotation. At the moment, they now have a top four of Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Quintana, and Carlos Carrasco. They also have David Peterson and Tylor Megill who could slot in as the fifth starter if the Mets do not add someone else. However, Peterson and Megill could also be used as depth if the Mets still look to acquire another pitcher, like Kodai Senga.