In a tweet yesterday, mets.com reporter Anthony DiComo said: “the Mets have signed nine free agents, completed seven trades and made their team better.” Well, make that 10 free agents, as the latest news is that the Mets have signed Taijuan Walker to fill out their rotation. As of right now, no terms are available, so it’s difficult to completely judge the move.
However, Walker was the youngest option available in free agency and the hope is that he’s put his injury problems behind him. Always a highly-touted prospect, Walker underwent TJ surgery and missed the majority of the 2018 and 2019 seasons. After making just one start in ’19, Walker made 11 starts in the truncated 2020 season and put up a 2.70 ERA in 53.1 IP, which would have been the third-most innings on the 2020 Mets.
The 2.70 ERA, however, comes with a 4.56 FIP and a 4.82 xFIP, as Walker posted a .243 BABIP and a 78.5 LOB% – both marks significantly better than his career rates in the categories.
Walker has a full repertoire, with his main pitch being a 93.2 mph fastball. His main offspeed pitch is a slider but he also features a splitter and a curve. The splitter was a new pitch last year, although he had mixed results with it. In the beginning of the season with the Mariners it was a plus pitch. But after the trade to the Blue Jays, it wasn’t as successful. Perhaps teams were sitting on the splitter later in the year. Walker ended up throwing fewer splits and more fastballs as the season progressed and his fastball results with Toronto went up significantly.
Between 2015-17, Walker made 28, 25 and 29 starts before coming down with the elbow issue early in 2018. He put up a career-best 2.5 fWAR in 2017 and it looked like his career was on an upward trajectory at that point. This is an upside signing and even if he falls short of his potential, he’s still only filling the fourth or fifth slot in the rotation. A league-average pitcher as your SP4 is a good outcome.
Walker gets $10M in 2021, $7M in 2022. 2023 player option that starts at $6M with escalators can get to $8.5M or $3M buyout on the player option. #Mets All of this is pending a physical.
The signing likely pushes Joey Lucchesi down to AAA which was made more crowded when Corey Oswalt cleared waivers. The Mets now have Lucchesi, Jordan Yamamoto, Oswalt, Harol Gonzalez and Yennsy Diaz starting for Syracuse with no room for Franklyn Kilome or Tony Dibrell.
Kilome has a shot at making the major league bullpen or going back to Syracuse as the teams closer. He has a rare situation where he wound up with an extra option and the Mets have one more chance to stash him.
With Dibrell, he finds himself back in AA with Thomas Szapucki, Michel Otanez, Tommy Wilson and Tyler McGill. This pushes Jordan Humphreys to Advanced A to take the spot vacated when the Mets traded for Lee.
Did they re-sign Humphreys? I saw him bouncing around a bit after they traded him to SF. I thought Cleveland claimed him and then Toronto put in a waiver claim from Cleveland? I did not hear he was back in the Mets organization.
mlb.com lists him on the 40-man for the Indians
https://www.mlb.com/indians/roster/40-man
That is the next place I was going to look 🙂
I’ll update the depth charts
Great signing. Huge upside. He seems to have made some bug adjustments through Driveline. Insurance for the rotation next year in the event stroman or Noah walk and if he stinks its a lower salary the next two yrs.
One more bullpen arm and we re done. Jefress?
If they sign Jeffress for 1 yr/$7 million or 2years/$13 million or so, NY will be about $9 million under the luxury-tax threshold.
Apparently they’ve also checked in on Shane Greene who would be a good get as well, but likely more expensive. Probably looking for Rosenthal money at least.
Maybe so, but he was paid a little over $6 million last year, so I’m thinking he and Jeffress would come for about the same deal.
Could use a third catcher tonstash in Syracuse like a Rene Rivera type. Tyler Flowers is still available I believe.
It looks like another one of those convoluted Kevin Pillar type contracts – 2 years with a player option and a club option and a club buyout. TR says 10M in 2021, 7M in 2022 with 6M 2023 player option with additional incentives.
I’m delighted with this signing. I’d been checking my computer often for the last week hoping it would happen. Last night I went to bed resigned that it wouldn’t. I love surprises, esp. in the morning when I’m trying to wake up!
Nice job Scott. I would be finished with signings as they’ll need room to add at the deadline and let’s leave a bullpen space to promote a player that deserves it. Can’t have the minor leaguers not be motivated.
Another good signing. Walker is young, has an upside and better than Lucchesi. (who also was a good signing) Walker’s signing add depth to the major league team and the AAA team. The Mets used 10 starting pitchers in 2020, 9 in 2019, 12 in 2018, 12 in 2017 and 12 in 2016. As Scott said, ” you can never have enough pitching”. In the course of a winter, Alderson and Scott have built up the starting pitching depth with young experienced starters with options in anticipation of Ginn and Allen in 2023.
Nice to see that Sandy and Steve Cohen have backed up the hype with a nice group of quality players, strengthening the team without the big splashy player that would have drained the resources. The Mets are stronger up the middle, have more team speed, have quality depth in both starting and the bullpen.
The Braves just made a quiet collective gulp… Mets are clearly much improved.
Agree that the moves have been very good, overall.
And they were ready to pay big time for Bauer and even Springer. I can see why they didn’t want to go higher for the latter player, with the DH uncertain, and keepers Nimmo and Smith needing PT.
And Lindor was a big splashy move!
Lots of former Blue Jays in the Mets starting rotation: Walker, Stroman and Syndergaard!
It’s hard to knock the addition. There is risk, as there is with any player, but the SP depth, a major deficit, is now very solid, with serious upside. Of course, the need health and Jake to be Jake again.
I basically agree with Gus. At this point, they can focus on how things in ST are sizing up. Who has a health issue, which of the NRIs look like a solid possibility for the 25 man. Yeah, we’d all like another big arm in the pen, but they have plenty of choices now, and they have wisely left themselves the versatility to add as needed down the road, based on what transpires.
I’ll go definite B+, maybe A- this offseason. No regrets on Bauer. Either Springer or Realmuto (at the Philly price) would have pushed to an A-/A. I understand shy they missed both, and I don’t really have any complaints about it either. Very good to borderline great offseason.
I am really happy that they signed Walker. He is the one that I wanted out of him, Odorizzi and Paxton. He could be a real steal and a key piece of the roster next year if Syndergaard leaves. What about the idea of Lucchesi in the bullpen?
I’m excited about all the versatility of the Mets roster. Against any given starter, they can go heavy RH or heavy LH lineups (nice to grab a LH hitting catcher)…
I’m good with:
JD/LuisG at 3B, Lindor SS, McNeil/Villar 2B, Pete/Dom 1B
in the OF, any combination can work: Nimmo, Conforto, Dom, JD, Pillar, AA, even Martinez.
McCann/Nimo should work out… especially if Nido can throw somebody out.
The bench is solid, man: more team speed, decent hitters from both sides.
Of course, the book is not closed. Sandy can assess all the time… bring people up, explore trades, etc.
The key to the season is Luis Rojas. If he manages to extend starters, use the bullpen wisely, take an aggressive approach offensively (run, bunt, manufacture runs… waiting for home runs is boring), accentuate team strengths, insulate team weaknesses, and use his baseball acumen… it should be a very good team.
Good move for sure.
Dunno why this popped into my head…
Thor as closer come 2nd half.
?
You have to believe that at least from a starting pitching perspective the Mets are done shopping. They are better prepared now for a starter to go down to injury than they were last year when Porcello and Wacha moved up to the number two and three position when they were only supposed to be fighting for a number five. There will also be a few arms down at Syracuse who are more poised to come up if needed. The key is still to get 6+ innings out of a starter to take the pressure off of the pen.Now the question becomes when do they extend Lindor and Conforto. And for that matter Nimmo. How can a true met fan not be very encouraged by what looks like to be one of our better all seasons?
Mets Starting Rotation:
deGrom ERA+ (2020-2017) 178, 169, 218, 117
Carrasco 157, 90, 128, 139
Stroman -, 137, 77, 164
Walker 161, -, 124, 135
Peterson 123
When this move becomes official, and when Pillar’s becomes official, they will have two roster moves to make to clear space on the 40-man. Heredia may be the obvious trade for Pillar, but who is it for Walker? Tarpley or Zamora? I’d hate to see them lose lefty arm, but certainly Walker was the right signing.
I see now they transferred Syndergaard to the 60 day IL to make a spot for Walker.