Mets: Which offseason addition is most likely to be a bust?

2 of 3

NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 30: Will New York Mets reliever Dellin Betances be this year’s bust? (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

One of the New York Mets additions this winter will likely end up as a bust. Let’s take a look at each of these men and who might be most likely to become this year’s Jason Vargas or Jed Lowrie.

The New York Mets had a much quieter offseason in winter two with Brodie Van Wagenen calling the shots. They haven’t made any major trades, yet.

Still, the team has made five additions to the 26-man roster. Four have come via free agency with one of those players arriving to Flushing through a trade.

Based on expectations and skill, we can project which of the newest Mets are most likely to be busts in 2020. The team has had its share of poor additions over the last two seasons and it wouldn’t be a surprise for another newcomer to have a season that resembles Jason Vargas in 2018 or Jed Lowrie last year.

Dellin Betances

Nobody has further to fall this season than Dellin Betances. One could make an argument he was the best player the Mets added this winter. It’s a fair one to make. His pedigree is unmatched when compared to everyone else they either signed or added via trade.

The path for Betances to be a bust in Flushing is quite obvious. He’s coming off a year where he made only one appearance. While we can hope he’s fully healthy, we all know well enough how Murphy’s Law can rear its ugly head.

It’s tough to believe Betances actually underperforms to the extent where we can refer to him as a bust. Even if he’s not the same pitcher he was with the New York Yankees, there is plenty he could bring to the table.

If Betances becomes this offseason’s bust, the Mets are in major trouble.

Brad Brach

Brad Brach deserves a spot on this list even though he was a member of the 2019 Mets for two months. He was still a free agent addition, making him a possible bust candidate under these parameters.

However, I’m not so sure there are lofty expectations for the veteran righty where anyone could realistically think of him as a bust. He’s not making a lot of money which almost seems like a requirement. A bad year from Brach can be easily written off as a veteran who has officially crossed over into the twilight of his career.

In many ways, Brach is a forgotten member of the Mets bullpen plan for 2020. He was better than average in limited opportunities for the club last year. Hopefully, without a year of losing his job and then having to find a new one, it helps his performance.

Brach may be bad in 2020. Calling him a bust with the more than reasonable price tag—even in an epically bad year—feels very unlikely.

Jake Marisnick

The lone “major” position players the Mets added this winter came via trade. Not long after officially moving on from Juan Lagares, the team replaced him with a player that appears to have a similar skill set. Outfielder Jake Marisnick came over from the Houston Astros where he’ll look to supplement this squad in New York with occasional at-bats but more defense than anything else.

Marisnick’s offensive numbers have been poor enough where I don’t think too many people are thinking highly of him. In many ways, he’s this year’s Keon Broxton. And while Broxton wasn’t seen as a significant part of the team’s plans, I still classify him as a bust.

Will Marisnick suffer the same fate?

There is a good chance the Marisnick trade is an absolute failure for Brodie Van Wagenen. Thus far, the J.D. Davis deal is the only one we can say worked out well. Fortunately, if you’re superstitious at all, that deal also involved the Astros. So, perhaps the Mets get a little more out of Marisnick than expected. Let’s not hold our breath yet, though.

Rick Porcello

Out of all the new additions the Mets made this winter, nobody will see more playing time than Rick Porcello. He’s expected to be the team’s fourth or fifth starter. Before even taking the field, he has a lot of pressure on him.

Porcello is an interesting case because of how poorly he pitched last season. There are some out there who aren’t expecting anything more than fifth starter numbers. What if he’s even worse?

On a one-year deal with a safe $10 million coming his way, Porcello can certainly be a bust but not to the same extent as other recent Mets pitchers. I think if he’s going to get the label on him this year it will have as much to do with how other pitchers perform. The Mets had their chance to add a variety of men to the starting staff. They chose Porcello and we’re going to compare him to how those men do.

Drastic inconsistencies from year to year make Porcello a major wild card. Until I see him in an orange and blue uniform in games that matter, I won’t know what to think.

Michael Wacha

An incentive-based deal for Michael Wacha makes him a safe bet to not be a bust for the Mets in 2020. Again, when it comes to the b-word, money matters a whole lot.

Wacha is actually a guy I could see outperforming expectations more than anyone else. Maybe this is partly because I don’t see him offering them much more than innings in relief and a few starts when someone inevitably lands on the IL.

A minor concern someone could have for Wacha not working out in New York is a full-time transition to the bullpen. This switch doesn’t always work for everybody.

Wacha is a safety net to injuries and poor performances from guys like Porcello and Steven Matz. He’ll be a bust in 2020 if he goes the Lowrie route and sits on the sidelines for most of the year. Otherwise, if he can give this team just an average performance, it’s tough to be upset with him.

Next. Seth Lugo predictions for 2020

Want your voice heard? Join the Rising Apple team!

Write for us!

When we think of the word bust, the higher the expectations always mean the further a player can fall. Fortunately, none of these guys are locked into contracts beyond 2020. Even if they all become major mistakes, it’s a temporary problem where the solution is time.

Home / New York Mets News