By Benjamin Fox
Position: RP
Bats/Throws: R/R
Age: March 23, 1988 (31)
Traditional Stats: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.000 WHIP, 0.0 BB/9, 27.0 K/9
Advanced Stats: 0.0 bWAR, 0.1 fWAR, -2.79 FIP, N/A ERA+
From 2014-2018 Dellin Betances sported a 2.22 ERA, 1.018 WHIP, and 2.26 FIP with 14.6 K/9 as compared to 3.9 BB/9 over 349 games. Betances missed all but one game of the 2019 season with a multitude of injuries. While there would undoubtedly be risk involved with singing the former Yankee set-up man, the Mets would be wise to give Betances a hard look.
2019 was a lost season for Betances. Injuries began to befuddle the four-time all-star pitcher as early as May 19. According to a tweet by Lindsey Adler, Betances was diagnosed with a right shoulder impingement after complaining to the team about feeling week during Spring Training. Thus Betances began the 2019 season on the injured list.
This was terrible timing for the 6″8′ right-hander as he was entering the final year of his contract with the Yankees. In fact, it had been reported by Jon Heyman that the Yankees were “trying to extend” Betances prior to his injury. The injuries just wouldn’t stop piling up for Betances in 2019, as he would suffer a lat injury in early July went attempting to ramp up his rehab from his original injury.
He remained sidelined until Septemeber 15 as he made his lone appearance of the season, striking out both batters he faced. Unfortunately during the appearance, Betances suffered a partial tear of his left Achilles tendon. It goes without saying that signing Betances comes with great risk, but for a team that struggled so mightily to find quality relievers in 2019, this is an excellent buy-low candidate.
Contract
Betances will be one of the more interesting names to watch during the 2019 off-season as he is such a unique case. He has been one of the most dominant and feared relievers in baseball since he entered the league, but also comes with quite a good amount of risk considering his recent injury history.
I would not count on him getting more than one year of guaranteed top relief dollar money. Relievers are volatile, as evidenced by the lack of success of Edwin Diaz and Jeurys Familia, two guys that were looked at as pretty safe bets. My prediction is Betances signs a one-year contract with a contending team with a team or mutual option for two.
Recommendation
Dellin Betances on his own is not enough to fix the Mets bullpen woes. While it has been reported by Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News that he is expected to be ready for spring training, the Mets would be ill-advised to rely on Betances as their main bullpen acquisition.
Although, if Betances is paired with a more reliable signing such as Astros reliever Will Harris, then they may be onto something. In a vacuum, Betances is a good option and I would recommend the Mets go after him as long as it doesn’t hinder them from acquiring other, more reliable bullpen options.
