The New York Mets have made a flurry of moves already and a huge signing for the Houston Astros may have just opened the door for an even bigger Mets move.
The Astros made the first splash of the new year, signing Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai to a three-year, $63 million deal that includes opt-outs after the first two seasons, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
This deal for Houston all but closes the book on re-signing two-time All-Star lefty Framber Valdez according to sources familiar with the team, which could lead to a pitching-needy team to swoop in and sign the 32-year-old World Series champion.
Who fits that bill the best? The Mets. New York’s offseason plan is to improve the pitching staff and to get better on defense. They’ve made several moves to address both needs, but they haven’t added a frontline starter like the team has been searching for.
Valdez has been one of the most reliable starting pitchers in Major League Baseball since his debut in 2018. His first full season in 2019 was rough, pitching to a 5.86 ERA and 1.67 WHIP across 70.2 innings. He also struck out 68 batters and walked 44.
In the same amount of innings during the COVID-shortened season, Valdez dropped his ERA by more than two full runs, and his WHIP was just a shade over 1.1. As his ERA and WHIP dropped, so did the number of walks. He struck out 76 hitters and walked just 16, good for a 4.8 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
His control hasn’t been at that level since that season, but he has still been one of the league’s best starters. He has pitched between 176 and 201 innings in each of the past four seasons, showing his ability to stay healthy and eat innings.
That’s the kind of guy the Mets are looking for, and he shouldn’t be too expensive, especially with how much money New York ownership has to spend. Valdez is coming off his second-best season in terms of bWAR and shows no signs of slowing down.
His pitching style and mechanics aren’t overly taxing, allowing him to stay on the field and get outs. He has a wipeout breaking ball that helped him reach 200 strikeouts; if the Mets paired Valdez with rising star Nolan McLean at the top of the rotation, they would be in a great position moving forward.