Mets Free Agents: Predicting who goes and who comes back for 2021

Dellin Betances

Dellin Betances is a real wild card in this discussion. The star reliever missed nearly all of 2019 due to injury. Before baseball shut down in spring training, it looked like he would start the year on the IL.

Health will play a big part in whether or not the Mets have any interest in bringing back Betances. My crystal ball is out of batteries so I can’t tell you or anyone else what the future holds in that department.

What we can all agree on is that if the 2020 season is riddled with injuries for Betances, he’s not coming back. If he’s fully healthy, I also don’t see him returning whether he’s productive or not.

It’s a big investment to make in an older relief pitcher. Already at 32-years-old, his next contract could potentially be the last he gets.

One scenario where I do see Betances coming back to the Mets in 2021 is if there is no 2020 season at all. Born in New York, I think he has a connection to the Big Apple and a preference to stay in the city. The Mets could potentially get a redo.

It’s not out of the question to see Betances stay. If I had to guess, the Mets try to find whoever next winter’s version of him is.

Rick Porcello

Rick Porcello is an interesting case to examine. He has already made his money from the Boston Red Sox and even took home a Cy Young and championship during his time in Beantown. What more does the man need?

Porcello’s future will depend a lot on how his 2020 season goes. Teams know he’s talented. They also understand he has a lot of innings on his arm. The fluctuation between his good to average to bad years is so extreme at times nobody really ever knows what to expect from him on the mound.

For the Mets, a longer deal with Porcello feels possible but unlikely. I feel more like the Mets brought him to town for 2020 because they didn’t want to commit to anyone longer. Between the price and years on his contract, it felt like a safe bet on a rebound campaign.

We will never know what Porcello could do in a full 2020 season. I expect the club will have some competition to bring him in for the 2021 campaign. As we’ve seen too often, the Mets often lose out when someone else is bidding.

Michael Wacha

Until recently, I thought Michael Wacha was another one-and-done candidate for this ball club. I’m rethinking things after reading what Allen Settle had to say about him.

Wacha is younger than I think most of us realize. He turns 29 on July 1, putting him on the right side of 30 for any free agent.

The fact that Wacha is a former BVW client bodes really well for his future in New York. It also helps that he’ll definitely start for the club in 2020 with Noah Syndergaard sidelined. Any chance of the relationship getting damaged because he “came here to start” is now in the rearview mirror.

If I was a betting man, I would expect Wacha to return in 2021. The only thing to stop this from happening is a dreadful season. More likely, he has an average to good one and it ends up keeping him in New York for at least one more year.

For Wacha, it may work out better. He needs a chance to rebuild his stock. At his age, he can afford another lesser deal.