Starting pitching is the biggest need for the New York Mets this winter, and there isn’t any way to hide it. After a lack of quality starters caused the team to miss the playoffs last season, David Stearns knows he has to rebuild the rotation.
With Dylan Cease already signing this winter and other pitchers such as Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo being traded to the Boston Red Sox, the starting pitching market is already in motion. It’s only a matter of time before more players are traded and signed.
Former general manager Jim Bowden on Friday predicted the Mets to sign Houston Astros ace Framber Valdez to a massive seven-year deal worth $218 million.
“Framber Valdez to the New York Mets for 7 years, $218 million: The Mets need an ace at the top of the rotation and Valdez can be just that,” Bowden wrote for The Athletic. “His high ground-ball rate and ability to miss bats, combined with his ability to pitch in big games, bode well for him pitching in Queens.”
Valdez would make a lot of sense in the rotation for the Mets as the team desperately needs an ace. The organization did not have a pitcher of his caliber this year, and it became more noticeable as the season progressed. This deal would pay Valdez more than $31 million per year, and he has proven to be worth every penny.
Over the last four seasons, Valdez has pitched at least 175 innings in all of them. He’s also made at least 30 starts in three of the last four years, and the one season he did not saw him make 28 starts. The 32-year-old pitcher is a workhorse and has proven to be durable in Houston.
The Mets would love to bring back Edwin Diaz and Pete Alonso, but adding to the rotation has to be the top priority. Signing Valdez should not prevent them from being able to retain one or both of those players.
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