The New York Mets, now that Sandy Alderson revealed that he will make baseball decisions from now on, are actively looking for ways to put the best possible roster for the 2021 season and beyond. That includes analyzing some potential free agent signings, trades, and deciding which players to keep and re-sign of their already existing core.
The New York Mets are in need of several starters. Marcus Stroman will be coming back next season and will join Jacob deGrom and David Peterson under contract, with Noah Syndergaard expected back sometime around June or July. The wild card here would be Steven Matz, who is arbitration-eligible.
The deadline for teams to decide whether to tender contracts to players eligible for the arbitration process is Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. ET. Matz had a horrible season in 2020, marred by a left shoulder bursitis and some ugly numbers.
The Mets’ lefty struggled in 2020
In nine games and six starts, the Mets’ lefty somehow managed to compile a 0-5 record and a -0.7 fWAR. In 30.2 frames, he had a 9.68 ERA and a 7.76 FIP, although his xFIP (4.15) wasn’t as bad as the other run-prevention stats.
According to Ken Davidoff of the New York Post, the Mets are likely to tender a contract to Steven Matz before Wednesday’s deadline. It isn’t a surprising development since the team can’t afford to lose capable starters that wouldn’t be so expensive.
If he returns his 2019 form (4.21 ERA in 30 starts and 160.1 innings) he could be a valuable back-end starter or a depth option should the Mets bring Trevor Bauer, Masahiro Tanaka, Jake Odorizzi or another alternative for the rotation via free agency or trade.
Matz is still 29 years old and has had success in the past. According to Tim Healey of Newsday, he has been working with Phil Regan with the hope of getting his career back on track. The Mets paid him $5 million in 2020.