The New York Mets made a surprise move by jumping in the trade between the San Diego Padres and Pittsburgh Pirates. Left-handed starter Joey Lucchesi joins the Mets rotation as another quality depth piece to hold the fort until Noah Syndergaard returns.
As for the Mets, Joey Lucchesi is a sneaky buy-low pickup who upgrades the back of their rotation.
Steven Matz 2018-20: 16-26, 4.59 ERA, 8.9 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, 86 ERA+
Joey Lucchesi 2018-20: 18-20, 4.21 ERA, 9.3 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 96 ERA+
— Kyle Glaser (@KyleAGlaser) January 19, 2021
Lucchesi should be considered as the front runner over Steven Matz for the last rotation spot. Over the first two seasons of his career, Lucchesi had a 4.14 ERA and became a mainstay of the Padres rotation. Lucchesi lost his spot on the roster in 2020 and allowed five runs in 5.2 innings pitched. On the other hand, Matz has been very inconsistent throughout his career. Matz still has a legitimate shot at making the rotation but has a lot to prove in spring training.
Stay For A While
Lucchesi’s four years of control is an underrated part of the trade because Marcus Stroman and Noah Syndergaard become free agents next offseason. He still makes under $1 million and will likely put up stats way above his pay grade. The Mets will have a consistent and reliable starting rotation if Lucchesi performs to his career stats.
With Lucchesi as the new pitching addition, expect their next free agent signing to be focused on either Brad Hand or George Springer. The starting rotation is not completely fixed yet, but it has a better structure than it had at the beginning of the month. With Lucchesi and Carlos Carrasco on the roster, fixing the center field issue and adding a left-handed reliever are the higher priorities.