The New York Mets rotation looks good, but perhaps not quite elite. One could argue they should have done more, but they did spend considerable resources in bringing in Clay Holmes and Frankie Montas plus re-signing Sean Manaea.
Those three, with Kodai Senga and David Peterson, comprise the entire unit, with Paul Blackburn, Jose Butto, Tylor Megill, Griffin Canning, and Brandon Sproat as potential depth options.
Maybe that’s why the team showed so much interest in Japanese free agent ace Roki Sasaki. Considering his age (23), international and NPB experience, stuff, projection, and, above all things, the affordable price (he is available for just international bonus pool money), Sasaki was the perfect free agent signing for the Mets. Then again, nearly every team can say the same.
While the Mets are still technically and theoretically in the race for Sasaki, their dream may be slipping away, according to SNY senior reporter Andy Martino.
“Frankly, I’m not hearing a lot of optimism in the industry that the Mets will be the team for Roki Sasaki, Martino said.
The Mets’ hopes to land Sasaki are slipping away
Martino said that New York is happy with what they have and could be prepared to enter the season with that group. It has talented performers, pitchers with bounce-back potential, and bat-missing ability, among other things.
Instead of directing their focus to Sasaki, the Mets could be looking at building a super bullpen to complement their rotation. They have been linked to relief pitching stars such as Jeff Hoffman and Tanner Scott, and could potentially come up with a high-AAV, short-term contract with New York.
There is no denying that Sasaki would have looked fantastic near the top of the Mets rotation. The hurler is not ready to make and announce his decisions, but the fact he prefers the West Coast is the worst-kept secret in MLB.