Sandy Alderson spoke to reporters on Tuesday about his thoughts regarding the team’s strategy heading into the offseason. With the slew of injuries to the starting rotation this season and in previous years, Alderson said he will be looking for an innings-eater this off-season.

“I think if we were able to find a Bartolo Colon type, who fits in the three-four spot and semi-guarantees 180-200 innings, that would probably be something that would stabilize our rotation. So I think it’s something we’d look at, yes.”

While we all love Bartolo Colon for who he is, he was also invaluable in an innings-eater capacity during his tenure with the Mets. The front office does have some free agent options they could consider.

Some pitchers that fit that mold are Alex Cobb, Lance Lynn, and Jason Vargas. Of those three, 30-year-old Lance Lynn would probably be most expensive as he’s having a great year going 10-6 with a 2.99 ERA. However, his 4.71 FIP is cause for concern.

In the two years before Tommy John surgery in 2015, Alex Cobb went 23-12 with a 2.82 ERA and 3.29 FIP in 309.2 innings. In five 2016 starts and 26 this season, he has gone 11-11 with a 4.23 ERA and 4.34 FIP. At 29 years-old, if he were to regain his pre-Tommy John effectiveness, something that is entirely possible, the Mets could get a solid pitcher for a relatively cheap price.

Lastly, Jason Vargas is probably the most intriguing option. While he is 34 years-old and threw just 55 innings between 2015 and 2016, he made the All Star team this season. The soft-throwing lefty is 14-10 with a 4.23 ERA, 4.69 FIP and 1.337 WHIP.

While adding Yu Darvish or Jake Arrieta is enticing, it’s probably not going to happen. The starting rotation, if healthy, would be the best in baseball. The problem has been, and likely will continue to be, that they can not stay healthy.

The Mets have potential top of the rotation starters, but they need reliable and effective anchors at least until pitchers like Matt Harvey, Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler can stay healthy enough to make 30 starts a season. Any of the three above pitchers would provide just that while still being effective.