Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Metsmerized Online’s own Jacob Resnick reported that the Mets have signed RHP Vance Worley to a minor league deal.
Worley, 30, spent Spring Training with the Cincinnati Reds before being released by the club. He went 1-1 with a 6.17 ERA, allowing eight earned runs in 11.2 innings pitched. He struck out five and walked two as a starting pitcher.
Mets fans should remember Worley as he finished third in Rookie of the Year voting in 2011 with the Phillies when he went 11-3 with a 3.01 ERA and 3.32 FIP in 131.2 innings pitched. He had another effective season in 2014 when he posted a 2.85 ERA and 3.44 FIP across 17 starts. Other than those two seasons, he has been a fairly average Major League pitcher with a career 35-36 record, 4.09 ERA, 4.02 FIP and 97 ERA+ pitching for the Phillies, Twins, Pirates, Orioles, and Marlins.
He is not a strikeout pitcher by any means with a career 6.7 K/9 mark. He has allowed 9.9 H/9 and 3.0 BB/9 over the course of his career, good for a 1.433 WHIP.
This signing could mean many things. He has been both a starter and reliever in his career, appearing in 163 games and starting 97 of those. It could mean the Mets are getting ready to deal a starting pitcher for, perhaps, a catcher. It could mean one of the Mets starters (i.e. Zack Wheeler) is gearing up for a move to the bullpen. Or, quite simply, he could just report to Triple-A for depth in case of injuries.
This is a zero-risk, decent potential reward signing for the Mets. At the very least, they gain some depth and at best, an average MLB pitcher. He will report to extended spring training before getting an assignment.
