Matt Moore

Age: 33 (6/18/1989)
B/T: L/L
2022 Traditional Stats: 63 G, 5-2 record, 74 IP, 1.95 ERA, 1.176 WHIP, 83 SO, 38 BB
2022 Advanced Stats: 203 ERA+, 2.98 FIP, 10.1 SO/9, 27.3 SO%, 12.5 BB%, 2.4 bWAR

Rundown

Matt Moore experienced a career revival in 2022. The once-promising starter had been in the midst of a lengthy downfall spanning years in which he could simply not return to the form he displayed in his first few years in the league. Though in his career he experienced multiple season-ending injuries and even a year-long stint in Nippon Professional Baseball, Moore persevered and made the most of his 2022 season with the Texas Rangers.

Moore began his career with the Tampa Bay Rays. Though not a high draft pick, he signed with the organization and worked his way up through the Minor Leagues, excelling at each level he pitched at. He made his Major League debut in September of 2011 and spent parts of six seasons with the club.

Though his rookie season in 2012 was impressive, in which he recorded an 11-11 record with a 3.81 ERA, Moore’s best season came in 2013. With a 17-4 record and a 3.29 ERA, Moore pitched well enough to earn his first All-Star nod. Unfortunately for him, his season was cut short due to a sore left elbow. This injury would follow him into the next season which he missed almost the entire year, having to undergo Tommy John surgery. He never fully recovered from this injury, struggling mightily when he returned, and eventually, he was traded to the San Francisco Giants at the trade deadline in 2016.

After this trade, Moore failed to find his footing again. He lost a season-high 15 games in 2017, struggled mightily as a hybrid starter/reliever with the Rangers in 2018, and missed almost the entire 2019 season with the Tigers after undergoing meniscus surgery. This brutal stretch of poor performance and bad injury luck could have been enough for Moore to say goodbye to the game but he never gave up. He signed with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball and helped the team to a Japan Series victory.

Earning another chance in Major League Baseball, Moore suffered a brutal 2021 with the Phillies before signing a Minor League contract with the Rangers in 2022, his second stint in the organization. Somehow, someway, his career completely turned around. Becoming a full-time reliever for the first time in his career, Moore kept a sub-2.00 ERA in 74 innings pitched with Texas and was one of the most reliable high-leverage relievers in baseball. Now a free agent, Moore will hope he can parlay this performance into a nice payday.

Moore, a lefty, throws a four-seam fastball, a changeup, a curveball, and a cutter. He’s not a particularly fast thrower, with his fastest pitch in the mid-to-low 90s, and control issues have been his weakness for the majority of his career. Last year with the Rangers, he issued 4.6 walks per nine innings and averages 3.8 walks per nine over his career. Despite these weaknesses, Moore showed last year his tendency to limit the home run and base hits overall, giving him a shining ERA and WHIP that will certainly be attractive to teams looking to bolster their bullpen this offseason.

Contract

Considering his age and injury history, Moore’s ceiling in free agency is limited. Spotrac.com estimates his market value to be $3.3 million in average annual salary. They also estimate he will get a two-year contract for a total of about $6.7 million. Considering his performance this past year and the fact that he made $2.5 million in his lone stint with the Rangers, this type of deal seems like it would be a bargain.

As we have seen this free agency, however, teams are willing to spend big more than ever. For a reliever like Moore who excelled in late-inning, high-leverage situations last year, it’s possible that he could have multiple teams interested in him which would drive up his value. Any team that signs him will be betting that Moore continues his spectacular 2022 performance into 2023 and perhaps 2024 as well.

Recommendation

One of the most glaring needs the Mets had last season was a left-handed reliever. In a division with several skilled left-handed hitters such as Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Matt Olson, and Michael Harris, it is of the utmost importance to have a left-handed reliever who can come in the game and get these guys out. The Mets have already started addressing this issue this offseason with the acquisition of Brooks Raley and the likely movement of David Peterson to the bullpen.

But the Mets shouldn’t stop there. The bullpen still has holes needing to be filled and Moore should be considered a candidate to fill one of those holes. His price tag wouldn’t be an issue for Steve Cohen and he could immediately come in and be a middle relief option or setup man ahead of David Robertson and Edwin Diaz.

Of course, the Mets could believe that his injury history provides too much of a risk. But part of the Mets’ process this offseason has been building up depth which they have lacked for some time. In some of the more under-the-radar moves the Mets have made this offseason to add reliever depth, the team acquired Jeff Brigham from the Marlins, signed Jimmy Yacabonis, Sean Reid-Foley and Tommy Hunter to Minor League contracts, and selected Zach Greene with a Rule 5 draft pick. That being said, the Mets shouldn’t worry about the risk of injury for Moore. If they believe he can make an instant impact out of the bullpen for the team in 2023, they should make every effort they can to sign him.