For much of the winter, while the New York Mets were looking at several options to fortify their starting rotation with the 2021 season in mind, they reportedly had a close look at free agent pitcher Jake Odorizzi, formerly on the Minnesota Twins.
Odorizzi had a very good 2019, in which he threw 159 innings in 30 starts and finished with a very good 3.51 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP with a 178/53 K/BB ratio. However, injuries and ineffectiveness marred his 2020 campaign, as he could only throw 13 2/3 frames.
Yet, at the time the Mets were considering him as an option, he was reportedly asking for a three-year deal north of $40 million, and the team preferred to look elsewhere and ended up adding Carlos Carrasco and Joey Lucchesi via trade and Taijuan Walker, Jerad Eickhoff, and Jordan Yamamoto via free agency.
After a few weeks of waiting for the right deal, Odorizzi decided to join the 2017 World Champions Houston Astros on a two-year contract, according to what sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
The money involved in the deal isn’t yet known.
The Mets wanted him a few weeks ago
Odorizzi would have been a fit with the Mets, especially because one of the men that helped him resurrect his career in Minnesota, Jeremy Hefner, is now the pitching coach in New York.
The 30-year-old right-hander was the last of the big free agents to sign, and he did it only a few days later than center fielder Jackie Bradley, coincidentally another target of the New York Mets throughout the offseason.
Odorizzi will help the Astros fill the void that the injured starter Framber Valdez (fractured finger) left just a couple of days ago. Naturally, it could take him a few days to catch up with his teammates and find rhythm on the mound, but he should be ready for the opening week of the MLB season.