5 Black Friday NY Mets free agent starting pitcher deals David Stearns can buy

The Mets can capatalize on these potential deals heading into December.

Jun 21, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Spencer Turnbull (22) throws a pitch against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fifth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Jun 21, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Spencer Turnbull (22) throws a pitch against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fifth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
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2) Trevor Williams

Trevor Williams spent parts of the 2021 and 2022 seasons with the Mets. During his time in New York, he started a dozen of his 40 appearances, pitching to a solid 3.17 ERA, 3.57 FIP, and 1.28 WHIP across 122 innings. After ‘22, he signed a two-year deal with the Washington Nationals. After a poor first year in 2023, Williams is coming off a strong, albeit injury-limited, 2024 campaign.

Williams was limited to just 13 starts and 66.2 innings pitched. But when he was healthy, he pitched great, working to a 2.03 ERA, 2.79 FIP, and 1.04 WHIP. Williams’ 22.7% strikeout rate was the best of his career. On top of that, his 6.9% walk rate was tied with his 2019 campaign with the Pittsburgh Pirates for the second-best he’s put up in one season. Williams was also immune to home runs with a 0.41 HR/9 rate.

Although he didn’t induce a ton of weak contact with a sub-par 89.4 MPH exit velocity, he did limit quality contact with a strong 6.6% barrel rate. Williams’ 45.4% ground ball rate is also the highest GB% he’s put up since his 2021 season, which he split with the Chicago Cubs and Mets.

Williams was great, but the question is if it is sustainable. Williams had just a .267 batting average on balls in play, with his career BABIP being .299. However, the ERA estimator numbers were still bullish on his performance. Williams carried a 3.82 xFIP and 3.96 SIERA, along with a 3.13 xERA.

Williams pitched extremely well in a small sample size. While he may not be a near-2.00 ERA pitcher, if he’s healthy, he could still be valuable as a guy who delivers a 3.50-4.00 ERA. The right-hander is entering his age-33 season in 2025 but it would be worth bringing back into the fold for the Mets next season.

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