New York Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen spoke to the press on Thursday from the Winter Meetings and the topic didn’t vary much.
The brief presser centered around the new depth the Mets starting rotation has recently added. With the additions of Michael Wacha and Rick Porcello the at times giddy Van Wagenen stated emphatically “(the Mets) probably (have) the deepest rotation in baseball.”
Wacha, in particular, has gotten a lot of press coverage since joining the Mets, mostly from his old stomping grounds in St. Louis. Cardinals manager Mike Schildt called Wacha’s move to the Mets the “steal” of the winter.
“If he’s not back, Michael Wacha is an absolute gladiator, Wacha is that quiet guy that just gets it done and in the clubhouse has had a really positive impact on the growth (of other pitchers), and he has a lot of residual value,” Schildt added. “He’s a manager’s dream. Because he’s a free agent, somebody is going to get a steal with this guy.”
Van Wagenen was also asked about the role of Steven Matz, given the changes in the rotation. Although he called Matz a “starter” going forward, when pressed if he is going to be part of the starting rotation next season, the general manager coyly avoided a direct answer and did not say yes. He did mention that the Mets now have six starters who would be considered fourth starters or better on other teams.
With the added depth, the Mets can now go after “wants” instead of “needs” such as bullpen help, according to the Mets GM. He also added that Noah Syndergaard‘s status ‘has not changed’ since the trades.
In 2019, Matz was 11-10 with a 4.21 ERA (4.60 FIP). He pitched a career-high 160 1/3 innings. His problem was his predilection to pitch much better at home than on the road. His BAA at home in 2019 was .209 while it was .257 on the road. If Matz ends up in the bullpen, it wouldn’t be the first time there as he made two appearances from the pen last July.
Suffice it to say that spring training this year will have some added intrigue on the mound as the Mets have an abundance of starters. It remains to be seen how the rest of the team, particularly the bullpen, will be built around this plethora of pitching.
Van Wagenen seems to be pleased with his efforts so far and the team as a whole. With Seth Lugo, Robert Gsellman and Brad Brach anchoring the bullpen at the start of the 2020 season, it seems that Van Wagenen feels the pen is stronger than it was last year. (How could it be worse?)
If Edwin Diaz somehow bounces back, the Mets may have a pitching staff to be reckoned with in 2020.
