The Mets re-signed setup man Adam Ottavino, inking him to a 2/$14.5 million deal. And like all of the cool kids, Ottavino has an opt out after the first season. If he can perform anywhere close to how he did last year, the Mets will have a formidable relief corps. Of course, the Mets had a pretty good group of relievers last year, too.
This move is a continuation of the Mets’ offseason, grabbing old pitchers. Not just over 30 but considerably older.
Kodai Senga is the young pup of the group, as he turns 30 at the end of January. Here’s the baseball ages of other Mets pitchers signed, re-signed or traded for this year:
34 – Jose Quintana
35 – Brooks Raley
36 – Carlos Carrasco
37 – Ottavino
38 – David Robertson
40 – Justin Verlander
No wonder they didn’t have much urgency to retain Taijuan Walker – too young! Come back to us after that four-year deal is over and you’ve got more experience, Mr. Walker. Chris Bassitt (34) must wonder what he did wrong.
For the record, I’m in favor of this veteran pitcher strategy. Young hitters and veteran pitchers is the way to go.
But, it’s possible to be in favor of a strategy and yet still realize the risk involved. For the most part, these guys were good in 2022 but not so hot in 2021. Don’t believe me? Here’s the breakdown:
Quintana – 69 ERA+ in ’21, 137 in ’22
Raley – 90 ERA in ’21, 136 in ’22
Carrasco – 67 ERA+ in ’21, 97 in ’22
Ottavino – 112 ERA+ in ’21, 188 in ’22
Robertson – 92 ERA+ in ’21, 172 in ’22
Verlander – DNP in ’21 and 220 in ’22
Quintana, Carrasco, Robertson and Verlander all were injured for a good part of the 2021 season. And no one should be surprised when old guys get hurt. But the good news is that they all showed they could still perform when healthy. Can the Mets keep them healthy in 2023? Let’s hope so.
The Mets have good depth in both starters and relievers for 2023. So, if any pitcher has to miss a month, there should be a serviceable replacement. No one will confuse David Peterson for Verlander or Tommy Hunter for Ottavino. But it’s so much better than the Tommy Milones and Tylor Bashlors that were called upon in the not-too-distant past as reserves.
Welcome back, Ottavino, we’ll be glad to see you in blue and orange again in 2023.
Test