NY Mets: Five free agents to return the pitching staff to prominence

SP Marcus Stroman returns as the 3rd pitcher in the NY Mets rotation

And the best for last – bring Marcus Stroman back home. The Long Island native brings swagger and an overall winning attitude, which is what this team needs to make the postseason and run the gauntlet.

Forget Trevor Bauer – who, according to some reports, is looking for one-year deals north of $40 million. Apparently he’s also open to signing in the Nippon Professional Baseball league in Japan in addition to several MLB teams he’s hinted that he’d like to play for, such as the Dodgers, Yankees, and several other teams.

While there is no denying his talent, I still think Stroman is the better option for this young, dynamic Mets clubhouse. Entering his age 29 season, he has an impressive track record of success. As a performer, he’s grown a reputation as a groundball pitcher who could fit comfortably in the middle of the Mets rotation behind two strikeout pitchers in deGrom and Syndergaard.

But, more importantly, as a teammate, he seems less troublesome and more supportive of his fellow players as opposed to Bauer who has a tendency to list his frustrations on Twitter when the moment strikes him.

Plus, Stroman pitched well in the small sample size Mets fans got to watch him play during the rollercoaster summer of 2019. Unfortunately, since he opted out in 2020, his 11 starts in Flushing are all we have to judge him by: 3.77 ERA, 59.2 IP, 60 K’s, and 1.47 WHIP.

With Stroman and Gausman, the Mets starting rotation could be retooled to look like: Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Marcus Stroman, David Peterson, and Kevin Gausman. And with the money saved from pursuing Bauer, management will be able to pick up another impact player or two to fill centerfield and/or the catcher position.

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Which free agent pitchers do you most want to see in Flushing next year?