New York Mets reportedly meet with former SF Giants hurler

A former SF Giants lefty is rumored to have wide interest this winter including from the New York Mets. According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, veteran starter Carlos Rodón
met with Mets officials on Tuesday.

New York Mets reportedly meet with former SF Giants hurler

Sherman specifies that the meeting took place via Zoom, which is a pretty meaningful detail. An in-person meeting usually carries more weight with free agents as contract parameters are discussed as well as potential fit. Teams have been using Zoom meetings in recent years for due diligence purposes. The interest is clearly from the Mets but there is a nuance to the substance of today's meeting.

The Mets have a pretty sizable hole to fill in the starting rotation as Taijuan Walker, Chris Bassitt, and Jacob deGrom have all hit the open market this winter. If deGrom signs elsewhere, it would be a devatstating blow to the Mets' starting rotation.

That said, they have explored contingency plans with both Justin Verlander and Rodón. The difference between Verlander and deGrom compared to Rodón is going to be contract length. Given Rodón's age (29), he will be seeking a contract of at least five years, whereas the other two will be in the market for shorter-team deals.

You cannot go wrong with any of the options and it feels like the Mets will land at least one of the big pitchers. Rodón would be an excellent fit as he is coming off of a very strong two-year run and is looking to cash in on free agency.

The Giants signed the lefty to a two-year, $44 million pact last winter. This included an opt-out clause that would be triggered if he exceeded 110 inninings in 2022, which he did so with ease. Rodón registered a 2.88 ERA, 2.25 FIP, 1.02 WHIP, 12.0 K/9, and a 4.56 SO/W ratio in 31 starts for San Francisco.

He earned an NL All-Star bid while finishing sixth in the Cy Young voting. If you ask me, he deserved better than a sixth place finish, but no one is asking me!

The eight-year veteran would not only be a good fit for the Mets but for nearly every team in baseball including the Giants. San Francisco has a void to fill in the rotation with Rodón hitting the open market. I would argue that the Giants cannot make the same mistake as last offseason but it is starting to feel like he will be pitching for a different team in 2023 as the Giants will look for value elsewhere.