The New York Mets addressed one of their many roster needs at this week’s Winter Meetings, adding right-hander Michael Wacha on a low-risk, high-reward (for both team and player), $3 million base salary ($7 million in incentives) to help shore up Zack Wheeler‘s absence in the rotation.
One could argue that Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen should have replaced Wheeler with a proven, middle-of-the-rotation pitcher. But, apparently, the financial constraints this organization’s been saddled with over the last decade or so didn’t simply disappear once Steve Cohen came into the picture. Bummer.
Instead, the second-year GM chose to gamble on Wacha, a 28-year-old former All-Star with well-documented shoulder issues, regaining that form. Fighting off that all-too-familiar sentiment of “same old Metsies” was no easy task, but there are glimmers of upside to the deal.
The former first-round pick (2012) garners league-average exit velocity and hard-hit percentage — 60th and 53rd percentiles, respectively — and his changeup remains a bonafide weapon (.199 batting average against, .326 slugging percentage against in 2019).
If Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner and assistant pitching coach Jeremy Accardo can tinker with Wacha’s fledgling four-seamer (.324 BAA, .578 SGLA in 2019), or work to make his seldom-used-but-apparently effective sinker (.143 BAA, .286 SLGA in just 20 offerings) part of his repertoire going forward, resurgence is certainly a possibility.
Just as everyone was reserving themselves to the fact that Michael Wacha would be assuming the Mets’ fifth starter position, it was reported on Thursday that the team had come to terms with veteran right-hander Rick Porcello on a one-year, $10 million contract.
Porcello, 30, pitched to a career-worst 5.52 ERA in 2019 with Boston (143 strikeouts, 45 walks, 174.1 IP), but also strung together his fourth consecutive 30-plus start season and the ninth such campaign of his 11-year MLB career.
For a franchise that’s well-versed in the toll that injuries can take on a ballclub, bringing in a dependable, battle-tested (2016 AL Cy Young Award winner, 2018 World Series champion) pitcher to fill out their now-crowded starting staff is a smart move.
For a team that saw four of their starters make 30 starts last season, they’re also familiar with the benefits of a healthy rotation. The Mets going 46-26 in the second half doesn’t happen without that staff’s contributions.
Now, the only question is how will Van Wagenen and Mets skipper Carlos Beltran carry out their plans? Per Wacha’s press conference with Mets media on Friday, he signed with New York “to be in that rotation and be out there every fifth day”. Porcello, assuredly, is thinking along those same lines.
Van Wagenen confirmed that the Mets will not be employing a six-man rotation, as per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Whether Wacha’s usage is governed by his incentive-laden contract or the Mets’ front office decides to trade a current rotational cog to clear space (in more ways than one), something’s got to give.
