3) Jacob Webb instead of Luis Garcia
Luis Garcia didn’t cost the Mets a lot of money. With incentives, his contract can only reach $3 million. Jacob Webb was another low-cost reliever on the market this offseason who signed for $1.5 million and a $2.5 million option for next season. He’ll join a rebuilt Chicago Cubs bullpen looking to fill in some gaps left by players like Keller.
Webb went a little underappreciated in free agency. The Texas Rangers non-tendered him in the first place is a bit peculiar and surely a hint that there’s more to him than good numbers. He had a 3.00 ERA last year and a 3.02 ERA in 2024. His strikeouts were down last year and his home runs allowed were up. It’s not a matter of screaming about Webb vs. Garcia, but certainly seems to be some reason to compare the two.
Garcia has built his success off of ground balls while Webb has been more of a fly ball pitcher. There’s always a danger for a pitcher who needs the wind to help him out.
Over the last three seasons, Webb has a 3.22 ERA in 176.1 innings. Garcia has a 4.14 ERA in 174 innings. Hmm. Along with a whole bunch of other similar free agent deals, this one feels bound to get questioned.
