The New York Mets have some funds to invest in the team, the willingness to do it, and a group of free agents that may fit in their roster. They have the perfect opportunity and timing to inject more talented to an already skilled group.
The Mets are said to be in on center fielder George Springer, and they have already added reliever Trevor May and catcher James McCann. However, their starting pitching is still in need of one or two additions if they want to compete for a playoff spot and more.
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, he heard from a team in contact with Jake Odorizzi that the free agent starter “expects to land a three-year contract in the $36 million to $42 million range.”
Odorizzi is a realistic target for the Mets, especially if they sign Springer and don’t want to splurge on Bauer. He has worked with current Mets’ pitching coach Jeremy Hefner back when they both were with the Minnesota Twins, and he knows May, too.
If Rosenthal’s report is true, it seems a tad high for a guy who was injured for most of the 2020 season and didn’t pitch all that well when he was healthy (6.59 ERA and a 6.12 FIP in 13.2 frames.) However, there is a lot of talent in Odorizzi’s right arm.
Odorizzi would improve the Mets rotation
The 30-year-old hurler has a career 3.92 ERA and a 4.12 FIP in 1,042.1 innings. He was particularly effective in 2019, with a 3.51 ERA and a 3.36 FIP in 159 frames, with a 10.08 K/9.
Another sign that the Mets could make a run at Odorizzi is that he isn’t tied to draft pick compensation, having accepted the Twins’ qualifying offer last season.
However, the Mets have competition. According to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, the Red Sox are among the teams showing serious interest in the 30-year-old right-hander.
The Mets could slot Odorizzi behind Jacob deGrom, Marcus Stroman, and Noah Syndergaard, when he’s healthy, and ahead of David Peterson. He would be a very good fourth starter in a contender.