Pretty much since free agency opened, the New York Mets were viewed as a good landing spot for Rick Porcello.
And that became a reality Thursday.
The Mets reportedly signed the 2016 Cy Young winner to a one-year deal worth $10 million. The 30-year-old (who will turn 31 later this month) is coming off a brutal year with the Boston Red Sox, in which he finished with a 5.52 ERA despite a 14-12 record.
Porcello and Michael Wacha will join a rotation that now should feature Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz. Not a bad group on paper, but a lot of room for things to go wrong, especially since Zack Wheeler no longer is in the picture.
So why did the Mets want Porcello so bad, especially considering the year he’s coming off? MLB Network’s Jon Heyman explained on Twitter.
Mets see Porcello as good bounce-back candidate. Their rotation depth looks good now with Porcello and Wacha. Appears excellent reliever Lugo and Gsellman can stay in pen.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 12, 2019
There’s a decent history of success for Porcello, so it’s obvious why New York believes he could be in line for a better year.
A bounce-back campaign obviously would be mutually beneficial, too. The Mets seem to think they can contend for a postseason spot, and Porcello rebounding and having a good year in 2020 would position him to get a heftier payday on a longer-term deal next offseason — similarly to what happened to Drew Pomeranz.
