NY Mets Monday Morning GM: 3 Rockies starting pitchers to consider

Every Monday morning, I make it a point to write about something relating to the New York Mets and transactions of the past, future, or present. Sometimes I’ll look back at trades the team has made with the benefit of hindsight. Other weeks, I’ll propose questions about what will happen next.

This week is kind of like the latter but it’s a much bigger dose of it. I’m going to look at three different Colorado Rockies starting pitchers for the Mets to consider trading for this summer.

Who are they? What will they cost? And which is the best fit? If you can stop watching the latest slowly released Marvel television show on Disney+ for only a few minutes, I’ll try to answer those questions.

German Marquez would be a huge investment for the Mets and a sign of things to come

German Marquez is likely on the trade block but maybe not as available as some people may think. Because he has already signed an extension with the Rockies, he’s a bigger payroll hit than some other pitchers his age yet to reach free agency for the first time.

Marquez’s contract locks him up through 2024 with a team option in that final year. The deal includes some incentives. I won’t bore you with that. What you want to know is whether or not he’ll be pitching for the Mets.

As much as the Rockies would probably like to get out from Marquez’s contract, I don’t see him getting traded for a light package. He may not be a household name but he’d cost close to it.

Every baseball fan knows Rockies pitchers have skewered numbers we cannot always trust. His lifetime ERA over 4.00 can be deceptive. His ERA+ has been positive in every full season of his career. At just 26-years-old, he also seems to fit the bill of what the front office in Flushing likes to add: young arms yet to reach their peak.

Trading for Marquez could be seen as a hedge against the possibility of losing Noah Syndergaard or Marcus Stroman in free agency. Marquez would practically ensure at least one of them is gone after this year.

The Mets would benefit greatly from a pitcher of his caliber on the roster. However, I feel the cost is too rich.

Antonio Senzatela is the “hard pass” yet affordable option

I love saying the name Antonio Senzatela. It flows so well. Do you know what else flows? Runs when he’s on the mound.

Senzatela is, in some ways, the Colorado version of Steven Matz. He has had some good, some bad, and some very average years. This year looks like it could be more bad than good.

Senzatela isn’t making a whole lot of money which is why he’s not a name you’ll necessarily read about around the trade deadline. There’s no urgency for Rockies to trade him away. Anyone they do move is about saving a few bucks.

However, I wouldn’t put it past the Rockies to make everyone available. We all believe Trevor Story is headed out of town as soon as possible. Why wouldn’t the Rockies entertain phone calls about Senzatela?

I haven’t made it any secret how I feel about this. Senzatela doesn’t strike me as the kind of pitcher you acquire mid-year to make a championship run. He’s more of an acquisition a team might make in the offseason in hopes of finding some untapped treasure. The Mets are in no position to do this. For one: it’s not the offseason.

I do think a change of scenery might help Senzatela, also only 26, have a better career. Coors Field isn’t a kind place to pitch. While not a fit for the Mets, he’s an affordable trade chip others should look to acquire.