New York Mets must make Dellin Betances their number one priority

Dellin Betances and his elite-level talent is a must for the New York Mets to add this winter.

The New York Mets desperately need to improve their bullpen for the 2020 season. On the free agent front, ex-New York Yankees reliever Dellin Betances looks like the perfect candidate to help turn one of their biggest weaknesses in 2019 into a strength.

Betances was once regarded as one of the most feared relief pitchers in baseball. From 2014-2017, Betances was widely considered the best relief pitcher in the American League. That four-year span featured four All-Star appearances, a top-15 Cy Young award finish, and close to 500 strikeouts over just 306.2 innings. He led AL relievers in K/9 and WAR and went on to become one of the three heads in the Chapman-Miller-Batances monster in the back of the Yankees’ bullpen.

After a dominant 2018 season, Betances battled injuries for most of 2019, making just one appearance. Betances started the season on the injured list with shoulder discomfort and it was later revealed that he had a bone spur near his right shoulder.

During his lone appearance, Betances suffered a torn Achilles. Despite missing nearly all of 2019, SNY’s Andy Martino recently provided a hopeful update on his injury status:

The Mets bullpen struggled mightily in the team’s third consecutive season without a playoff appearance. In the past three seasons, the Mets rank last in the National League in ERA (4.92), home runs allowed (253) (thanks Hansel Robles), and opponent’s batting average (.256).  Edwin Díaz and Jeurys Familia will have to pick up the slack in order for the Mets to end their postseason drought.

With the possibility of Seth Lugo moving back to the rotation in 2020, the bullpen could be left with a gaping hole. Since Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen are staying put this offseason, Betances is likely the best relief pitcher available.

With Robert Gsellman and Justin Wilson returning as the only consistent arms in the bullpen, sliding in the best relief arm on the market makes too much sense. Betances, 31, is coming off of an injury-riddled season and shouldn’t come with nearly as steep a price tag as the other big-name relief pitchers. The Mets should be able to lock up Betances for two years at under $20 million. Perhaps Betances decides to test the market next season; I could see the Mets signing him for $8 million with an option for a second season.

Although coming off of injury; Betances’ stuff should not be in question. From 2016-2018, his fastball averaged over 98 mph, clocking as high as 101. Betances throws a hard curveball and generates lots of fly balls, which shouldn’t be an issue if the Mets improve their outfield defense.

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I wouldn’t expect the Mets to sign a marquee free agent such as Anthony Rendon or Gerrit Cole. However, if Brodie Van Wagenen wants his team to make the leap from Wild Card contender to World Series contender, he must improve the bullpen. Coming at a discounted price and given his ability, there is absolutely no reason not to sign Dellin Betances.