So, my fine friends… On Friday afternoon, after weeks of drama, free agent right-hander Trevor Bauer announced he’s joining the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Bauer, 30, agreed to a three-year, $102 million deal.

The New York Mets were hot on his trail and in recent days, they were even thought to be the front-runner. But alas, the Mets were left stranded at the altar despite having offered Bauer a few million more.

Bauer won the NL Cy Young last season after going 5-4 with a 1.73 ERA, 2.88 FIP, 0.795 WHIP and 100 strikeouts in 73 innings.

He would’ve certainly been a nice catch for the Amazins, joining Jacob deGrom, Marcus Stroman and Carlos Carrasco in what could’ve been a very formidable starting rotation.

While the drop-off from Bauer to the next tier of available pitchers is quite stark, you could do worse than right-handers Taijuan Walker and Jake Odorizzi, and lefty James Paxton.

Odorizzi, 31, battled injuries last season and made just four starts, allowing 10 earned runs in 13 2/3 innings.

It was a far cry from his stellar 2019 season, but there’s a good chance Odorizzi can have a bounce-back season in 2021.

The former first-rounder posted career-highs in FIP (3.36), ERA- (75), K/9 (10.4), and fWAR (4.3) in 2019.

In 30 starts, Odorizzi posted a 3.51 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and a .289 wOBA in 160 innings. He’d probably slot in behind Stroman and make a very effective mid-rotation starter for the Mets.

James Paxton had his season cut short due to forearm soreness in 2020, and only made five starts, posting a career-worst 6.64 ERA and 4.47 FIP.

The 32-year-old southpaw threw for 20 MLB teams in December and appears to be fully recovered. That said, he’s never made 30 starts in a season.

In 2019, Paxton had a somewhat solid season for the Yankees with a 3.82 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 3.86 FIP and 3.5 fWAR in 29 starts.

Paxton struck out 186 (11.11 K/9) and walked 55 (3.29 BB/9) in 150 2/3 innings pitched.

When he’s healthy Paxton is a very effective starter who misses a lot of bats. However, he misses a lot of time and makes too many trips to the injured list.

Righty Taijuan Walker started 11 games for the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays last season, after returning from 2018 Tommy John surgery.

Walker, 28, recorded a very strong season, posting a 2.70 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 4.56 FIP and a 2.63 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

https://youtu.be/ED7380i3Kz8

Walker really turned it on after he was traded to the Bue Jays where he posted a 1.37 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 25:11 K:BB over 26 1/3 innings.

The Louisiana native could slot in as the No. 3 or 4 starter for the Mets, and of the three will probably be the only one who could get a multi-year deal.

Three Year Averages

Paxton: 3.97ERA, 3.59 FIP,  1.204 WHIP

Odorizzi: 4.11 ERA,  3.88 FIP, 1.283 WHIP

Walker: 2.81 ERA, 4.39 FIP, 1.233 WHIP

Of the three, I have a hunch Odorizzi will provide the most value in 2021. However, Walker is probably more of a sure thing.