The New York Mets lost Jacob deGrom, Chris Bassitt, and Taijuan Walker in the offseason.
No need to worry, though: they signed Justin Verlander, Kodai Senga, and Jose Quintana to replace them.
Additionally, they brought Carlos Carrasco back for another season.
So far, their rotation depth has them with Verlander, Senga, Quintana, Carrasco, David Peterson, Tylor Megill, Elieser Hernandez, and Joey Lucchesi.
That’s a solid group that may have some extra surprises over the course of the season.
With several holes to fill in the bullpen, however, an analyst is wondering if the team might consider a move.
“I think there’s a decent chance the Mets trade Carlos Carrasco for a bullpen arm or two,” D.J. Short tweeted.
I think there’s a decent chance the Mets trade Carlos Carrasco for a bullpen arm or two.
— D.J. Short (@djshort) December 11, 2022
The idea is not out of the question and actually makes sense, but only for the right return.
Carrasco is 35, injury-prone, and will make $14 million in 2023: his trade value might not be all that high.
Trading Carrasco Is Certainly A Possibility
However, if they manage to find a club that truly appreciates what Carrasco can bring to the table – rotation stability and a nice floor, when healthy – then a deal might be within the range of possibilities.
The talented right-hander had a rebound season in 2022, posting a 3.97 ERA with a 3.53 Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) in 152 innings with the Mets.
He is the perfect middle-of-the-rotation starter who won’t post a sub-3.00 ERA season, but will give you very competitive innings.
The Mets probably prefer to bring in solid veterans via free agency rather than subtracting from their rotation depth, though.
They did re-sign Edwin Diaz and brought in David Robertson, but they lost Seth Lugo, Trevor May, Adam Ottavino and others via free agency.
The bullpen is, therefore, not a finished product.
What will they do to put it together?
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