Mets News: Three former Mets pitchers looking for a place to play ball in 2020

Former New York Mets Matt Harvey, Bartolo Colon, and Francisco Rodriguez are all free agents hoping to pitch in 2020. Will any get a shot?

Not much has happened with the New York Mets over the last few weeks. Baseball has been in a standstill for two months now and with no clear answer as to when the season begins, we’re all left wondering when the next time we see a game will be.

Three former Mets have recently made headlines. The trio of pitchers who once suited up for the orange and blue are all free agents at different points in their careers.

Let’s begin with Matt Harvey. The Dark Knight of the Big Apple continues to showcase he can still pitch. Last week, new videos surfaced of the former ace throwing from the mound keeping a social distance of at least 60 feet and 6 inches from the catcher.

Without fail, the topic around the Mets world then became whether or not the team should give him another chance.

Free agency is a two-way street. And while Harvey may be desperate for a contract in 2020, I don’t think either side is ready to reunite. It would probably take an ownership change before we see Harvey pitch for the Mets again.

As Matt Cacace of Rising Apple covered, it’s uncertain whether he’ll even get a major league inning again.

From that same era of Mets baseball, Bartolo Colon spoke recently about how he would like to return to Major League Baseball. Big Bart even went out to say his team of choice would be the Mets.

The 46-year-old best known for his girth turns 47 on May 24 and hasn’t pitched in MLB since 2018. His last two years in the majors didn’t have promising results either. They included a 6.48 ERA in 143 innings back in 2017 and a 5.78 ERA in 146.1 frames in 2018.

It’s hard to not love Colon if only for the comic relief at times. However, it’s a hard pass from me.

Finally, there’s Francisco Rodriguez. He is also hoping to pitch again. The former Mets closer from 2009-2011 didn’t make too many fans during his years in New York. A clubhouse altercation with his father-in-law highlighted his stay.

K-Rod hasn’t pitched in a major league game since 2017 when he posted a 7.82 ERA in 25.1 innings as a member of the Detroit Tigers. His attempt to climb onto a major league roster is least likely of all. At least Harvey has his age and Colon has his gut. Rodriguez doesn’t have much he can sell to ownership looking for a gimmick signing.

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All three of these men feel like they have some baseball left to play. Because minor league baseball may be absent completely this year, they’re going to have to work especially hard to impress 30 organizations they are worth a major league roster spot. Can any rise to the challenge?