So far this year, the Mets pitching has been much worse than anyone could have ever imagined. In fact, the team’s 5.66 ERA is the worst in the National League by over a half-run. To be fair, there are a number of reasons why that is the case from the Mets having the league-worst defense (-22 DRS), plain old bad luck, and of course, Jacob deGrom suffering an elbow injury.
However, none of those things are the biggest reasons. Heading into the season, the Mets had just four Major League caliber starting pitchers. The massive hole in the rotation has been exasperated by the Mets being two arms short in the bullpen leaving the time by cycle through Tim Peterson, Corey Oswalt, Paul Sewald, Drew Gagnon, and Jacob Rhame in the hopes of finding some mix that works.
Unlike previous years, the Mets are not going to have to wait to trade for someone. In fact, Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel are currently free agents. Based upon the Mets typical budgetary restraints, the best case scenario would be the Mets adding one of these two. But that leaves us all to question who should that be? In the latest edition of the MMO Roundtable, our writers offer their opinions:
Marshall Field – Keuchel Would Be a Spark
Based on the overall performance of the starters, Keuchel would add a much-needed spark to the rotation. Keuchel is a proven starter and would give the rotation the depth that Van Wagenen has preached since he got here. We have our closer in Edwin Diaz, so Kimbrel is not as much of a need. I don’t think this choice is even close.
Mojo Hill – Keuchel Provides More Value
From simply a value standpoint, Keuchel is the right answer. A Familia-Kimbrel-Diaz trio is tempting and would be awesome, but ultimately Keuchel would improve this team more than Kimbrel would. While there are reasons to be concerned about Keuchel going forward, it’s undeniable that he would eliminate a lot of uncertainty while stabilizing the back end of the rotation. As dominant as Kimbrel is, there are age concerns with him as well and a reliever can only provide so much value in terms of WAR. Plus, the bullpen isn’t exactly a pressing need with the presence of Diaz, even with some early struggles from non-Diaz relievers this season.
Matt Mancuso – Insane Keuchel Isn’t Signed
It’s still insane that Keuchel, the 2015 Cy Young award winner, isn’t signed three weeks into the MLB season. Keuchel has cemented himself as a solid, consistent mid-rotation starter, which would greatly benefit the Mets’ starting staff. After forging an MRI, deGrom’s future is murky. Noah Syndergaard isn’t pitching like the ace many predicted he would emerge to be, and Matz and Wheeler have looked extremely hittable. And that’s not even mentioning Vargas, who hasn’t been trusted to carry the ball beyond the fourth inning. Their offense has been firing on all cylinders, but their starting pitching is clearly their one huge weakness. The Mets need to begin capitalizing on their competitive window, especially with the NL East looking wide open at this point in the season.
Andrew Percoco – Go With Three Closers
Actually, I would rather have Kimbrel. Lockdown bullpen from the seventh on with three excellent closers, even though Jeurys Familia is struggling right now, he won’t for that much longer, but Kimbrel is dominant and Mets can still have Chris Flexen or Gio Gonzalez come in for a fifth starter. Again, I really want Keuchel also, but you said just one!
Tim Ryder – Need a Proven Starter
Keuchel would give this rotation a shot in the arm. Between Jason Vargas‘ ineffectiveness, the mixed bag of results we’ve seen from Zack Wheeler and Steven Matz another proven arm added to the group could go a long way.
John Sheridan – Kimbrel Less Risky
When you account for the fact both Keuchel and Kimbrel will likely want multi-year deals, Kimbrel emerges as the clear-cut answer. Over the last few years, we have seen Keuchel lose velocity and spin on his pitches. Ultimately, he has made the adjustments to become a ground ball pitcher who keeps the ball on the ground. Unfortunately, the Mets defense has been the worst in the National League-leading the Mets staff to have an MLB worst BABIP and LOB% this year.
While Keuchel is a definitive upgrade over Vargas and the like, he’s bound to struggle in front of this just plain terrible Mets defense.
On the other hand, Kimbrel is a strikeout pitcher who is on track to go to the Hall of Fame. If you give him the ninth, he and Diaz combine to form one of the greatest 8-9 combinations seen in Major League history. Their presence makes every game a seven-inning game allowing the Mets to better handle short outings from their fifth starters.
Overall, our staff believes Keuchel would be the better signing for the Mets. Do you agree? We look forward to continuing this conversation in the comment section.
