Antonio Bastardo
Position: Relief Pitcher
Bats: Right — Throws: Left
Born: September 21st, 1985 (Age 30)
The Mets need a lefty in the bullpen, that much is certain. Sure they have other needs as well, but with top left-handed sluggers like Freddie Freeman and Bryce Harper in our division, being able to get dangerous hitters like them out is absolutely imperative.
The two highest profile left-handed relievers on the free agent market are Tony Sipp and Antonio Bastardo. Sipp is a very good pitcher, however he has opposite splits and he is more effective against right handed batters. Bastardo, on the other hand, is absolutely a lefty specialist and someone the Mets should be interested in acquiring.
Bastardo had a great year for the Pirates, going 4-1 with a 2.98 ERA, 1.134 WHIP and a 10.0 K/9 rate. He appeared in 66 games and pitched 57.1 innings, striking out 64 and walking 26. He did an incredible job as the Bucs’ setup man this season for closer Mark Melancon.
The Pirates used Tony Watson as their lefty specialist last season, but mostly because Bastardo was so good as a crossover reliever. But make no mistake that Bastardo is one of the game’s most filthiest relievers against left-handed batters.
Lefties batted a mere .138 (9-65) against Bastardo in 2015, with one home run and three RBIs (righties batted .207). In his career, lefties have batted .176 against him, so this season was not an outlier. When it comes to relievers on the free agent market, there are no surer bets than Bastardo in terms of getting left-handed sluggers out.
Contract: MLB Trade Rumors projects him to sign a three-year $15 million contract, while FanGraphs projects a two-year deal worth $8 million. With those contracts giving him annual salaries of $5 million and $4 million respectively, he is definitely affordable.
My Recommendation: SIGN HIM! The Mets should absolutely go and sign this guy, I don’t see any real reason not to. The Mets need a lefty specialist and he would perform admirably as one. However, Bastardo is more than just a one trick pony, he can also be used effectively against right-handers, making him a great 7th or 8th inning reliever as well.
