Sandy Alderson spoke with media today in Port St. Lucie as detailed by Anthony Dicomo of MLB.com.
Despite his assistant GM, John Ricco, saying something to the contrary, Alderson gave a different tone about the Mets rotation:
“Notwithstanding many opinions to the contrary, I’m not convinced we need more pitching.”
“I actually think with where we are right now, we’re in pretty good shape. At the same time, we continue to monitor what’s out there and how we can continue to improve the team.”
Well, this is going to get the fans riled up a little. The Mets have been in need of a starting pitcher all offseason, and that hasn’t changed since they still haven’t added one.
However, do not get angry yet. This could very well be posturing just in case he can’t get any deal done. Now, everyone knows they need to get some insurance for the rotation. Alderson knows that and the whole organization knows that.
The latter quote is probably the more reliable one from this, as it would be hard to imagine Alderson not signing someone to a minor-league deal at the very least.
These quotes do appear to give off the vibe that they aren’t planning to sign anyone that will cost more than a one-year deal in all likelihood, though, unless if they find a bargain.
Rule out Lance Lynn and Alex Cobb.
It suggests Alderson really is likely looking at depth and that it is unlikely the Mets will sign anyone above the tier of the market that includes Jason Vargas, Andrew Cashner, John Lackey, and Jeremy Hellickson. At the very least, it is hard to imagine the team not signing someone like Ubaldo Jimenez to a minor-league deal.
The way the free agent market has progressed this winter, it is very possible one of these arms could fall into the Mets laps. However, they might not get their pick of the litter if they choose to go about it this way.
