Mets should seriously consider signing these three non-tendered pitchers

The Mets are still trying to build out their rotation and offering Carlos Rodon a minor-league deal could prove to be valuable down the road

The New York Mets certainly don’t need more question marks in the rotation, but there’s also no risk in providing potential depth, especially at a low cost. A pitcher like Carlos Rodon could be the type of low-risk/high-reward that ends up providing value for the club.

For Rodon, it’s never been a potential of question, but rather of putting it all together. Drafted with the third overall pick in the 2014 MLB draft, Rodon came into the White Sox organization with high expectations. Throwing a mid 90s fastball, a slider, and changeup, Rodon was known for missing bats. Racking up a K/9 ratio of almost 13 in college, the White Sox expected more of the same in Chicago.

Unfortunately, since getting to the Majors, Rodon has been plagued by inconsistency and injuries. Since coming into the league in 2015, Rodon’s ERA has gone up every season and culminated last year with an 8.22, although he only threw seven innings over the whole season. Taking this into account, people are probably wondering why he should even be considered an option.

The natural stuff is there and if you take a look at his small sample size in 2019, there’s a reason to be somewhat optimistic. His strikeout numbers were up, whiffing 46 batters in 34 innings. Yes, it’s a limited sample, but it indicates that the swing and miss stuff is still very much there.

Additionally, the seasons in which Rodon’s ERA has ballooned are seasons in which he has faced injuries and had his year cut short. In the three seasons he’s thrown over 100 innings, his ERA consisted of 3.75, 4.04 and 4.18 respectively. This is a drastic difference from the 5.19 and 8.22 ERAs he posted in injury-laden seasons.

Rodon is certainly no sure thing. Between the injuries, the walks (career 3.87 BB/9) and the 4.26 FIP over six seasons, there’s certainly a reason for suitors to approach cautiously. That being said, given the high strikeout potential and friendly confines of Citi Field, the Mets should at least consider bringing Rodon to spring training on a minor-league deal.

The Mets added Trevor May to reinforce their bullpen, but adding another reliever is something the Mets should look to do this offseason

This winter has certainly brought some surprises and the non-tender deadline continued that trend when Archie Bradley was not tendered a contract by the Cincinnati Reds. While the Mets are certainly in need of some left-handed arms in the pen, adding Bradley should be a move management makes in the coming weeks.

Traded to the midwest from Arizona, Bradley had excellent numbers in 2020. Between the two teams, the right-hander posted an ERA of 2.95 and accompanied that with a stellar 2.59 FIP. He also racked up 18 strikeouts over the 18 innings he pitched while compiling six saves and two wins.

You also may know Bradley from his historic triple in the National League Wild Card game in 2017. With the DH looming in the NL, you’re probably not going to get a repeat of this:

If you’re sheepish on Bradley’s numbers over 18 innings, you can look to his 2019 season and see the quality he carriers. In a full season with the Diamondbacks in 2019, he put together a 3.52 ERA over 71.2 innings pitched and also had a career-high K/9 ratio that almost neared 11 (10.93). His walk rate and FIP were up that year, but he was worth a 1.2 fWAR and was probably a victim of a slightly abnormal BABIP.

With a ground ball rate of nearly 50%, Bradley’s stuff lends itself to a ballpark like Citi Field. While better served as a middle reliever, Bradley has shown the ability to close games if needed as he’s registered 28 career saves, 18 of which came in ’19.

With the Mets looking to create depth by adding quality arms to their bullpen, Bradley would be a great grab this offseason.

The Mets are lacking left-handed arms in the bullpen and could use a quality arm like Alex Claudio

Most Mets fans agree that Chasen Shreve should’ve been tendered a contract. I personally would’ve rather had Shreve than say a Robert Gsellman, but here we are. Additionally, there’s plenty of arms that could’ve been added to this list like John Brebbia, Matt Wisler, or a reunion with former Met, Hansel Robles. However, the Mets need another lefty in the bullpen. As the roster stands today, the only left-hander that isn’t a starter is Daniel Zamora.

Alex Claudio spent five seasons with the Texas Rangers before being traded to Milwaukee in 2018 and then eventually resigning with Brewers in 2019. Over seven seasons, lefties have hit .202 against Claudio with an OPS under .600.

The last three seasons have seen Claudio post an ERA over four, with a career-high of 4.48 coming in 2018. That being said, before 2018, Claudio had four consecutive seasons with an ERA under three. Another ground ball pitcher, Claudio owns a career ground ball percentage of almost 61%, which as a reliever could provide useful.

Also encouraging is the fact that Claudio’s strikeout percentage has climbed consecutively over the last three years. Combine that with a historically low walk rate outside of last season and there’s silver lining that suggests that Claudio could possibly rebound and be a nice find.

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Given the success against lefties, it might be worth the Mets exploring a deal to bring Claudio to Flushing to add left-handed depth to the bullpen.