Picture Courtesy of USA Today

Question: How many free-agent pitchers are 26 years-old, have had two seasons at the major league level with sub 3.00 ERA, and were named to an All-Star game?

Answer: Jair Jurrjens

There has been little to no talk about Jurrjens hooking on with any teams this offseason.

The question is why?

Granted, he is coming off an abysmal year that saw him sent down to the farm to work out his issues at one point. But is one season really enough to pull the plug on a pitcher that looked to be headed towards becoming the next legendary pitcher in Atlanta?

Apparently for the Braves, what they saw in 2012 was enough to send him packing. Could the fact that the Braves gave up on Jurrjens so quickly be what is scaring other teams away?

At this point, the Mets should be all over this guy. They should buy low on Jurrjens and see if he can regain the form that once led him to be an All-Star. They need to fill a hole in the rotation that was left behind when the team traded RA Dickey, so why not take a shot on a young pitcher who has had success at the major league level?

Jurrjens is not a power pitcher, but even after his 2012 campaign where he posted a 6.89 ERA, his career ERA is still a respectable 3.62. It would be smarter for the team to take a chance on a young pitcher, with a high ceiling, than a pitcher like Chris Young at this point (who is rumored to make a possible return to the Mets).

The Mets could sign Jurrjens to an affordable one-year deal, and if he performs well, they could potentially flip him at the trade deadline. They could also determine if they want to keep him and if he fits in with the team’s future plans. If he performs like he did in 2012, they could just cut him loose like the Braves did at the end of the year. Seems like a no-lose situation for the Mets.

Maybe with the added incentive of staying in the NL East and getting to play against the team that cut him loose, after just one subpar season, will light a fire under Jurrjens again.

Take off your Mets blinders momentarily, and tell us who you think is the best pitcher in the NL East.

I decided to add some other worthy candidates just to make it a little more interesting.

The stats I used are from the 2009 season and are meant to provide some additional depth. Remember that some pitchers may have spent time on the DL or in the minors, so do consider their overall body of work as well as reputation and whether they are on the downside, upside or prime of their careers.

I eliminated wins because it’s not really an indication of how good a pitcher really is. I added strikeouts per nine innings ratio and strikeouts to walks ratio as it makes it easier to compare pitchers who may not have had similar innings pitched.

If you could have just one of these pitchers on your team right now, which one would you choose?

Who is the real Beast of the NL East?