The Mets rotation, for better or for worse, is set for 2012: Santana (or replacement), Pelfrey, Dickey, Gee and Niese. The Mets also look between the end of this year and 2014 to add several young pitchers, like Familia, Harvey, Wheeler and maybe Mejia.
So I wonder if the Mets could benefit from what will be a crowded All-Star pitching Free Agent market next season. With Edwin Jackson signing a one year deal today, and Oswalt predicting to sign one, that means these pitchers will join Matt Cain, Anibal Sanchez, Zach Grienke, and Cole Hamels next year on the market (credit: MLB Trade Rumors for the information).
That list has a lot of players, looking for long term deals. This year’s market saw one pitcher, Edwin Jackson, kill his hunt for a long multi-year deal to try the market again for next season. With 6 strong starters currently on the market for next season, one has to wonder if there is enough room for ALL of them to sign long term deals.
Maybe one of them looks to pull what Edwin Jackson did this season. If that happens, the Mets should jump on that opportunity. It would be a small time investmetn, albeit expensive, for a player who will be competing for a contract all season long. The Mets will be looking for pitchers not to clog the rotation for young starters, and it would be good for the Mets young starters to be around these pitchers.
Right now, the Mets by far have the worst rotation in the division. Our rotation isn’t terrible, but everyone else has one that ranks “Very Good” or better, or just doesn’t have as many health question marks. Thinking on a multiyear level, the Mets could set themselves up nicely for 2014, 2015 if they play their cards right before the 2013 season.
This, of course, comes down to finances. The Mets are projected right now to the have the largest single season drop in payroll in MLB history, but with minority shares getting ready to be sold, and the debt hopefully about the paid off, maybe by the grace of the baseball Gods the Mets will be able to correctly invest in their own team again.
