NY Mets Monday Morning GM: A value at $15 million even with a minor hassle

Kodai Senga goes into Monday with a 4-2 record, 1.02 ERA, and 44.1 innings of work through 8 starts this season. The righty has been topnotch when it comes to run prevention. It’s almost easy to forget he went three straight starts in April without allowing anyone to cross the plate, earned or otherwise.

Senga has given up just one earned run through three May starts and another unearned run in his most recent outing versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. Although prone to those days when he can’t find the strike zone like in Arizona, at $15 million he remains a value free agent signing even with the hassle of needing a sixth starter on a regular basis.

The Mets needing a sixth starter because of Kodai Senga creates a situation that might actually benefit the team

David Stearns was up to the task, apparently. When assembling the Mets roster, you need to consider what the team will look like with a healthy Senga. He didn’t have to worry about it at all in 2024 when Senga went down with an injury in the spring and a fresh one in his lone regular season start.

There seemed to be a lot more forethought this past offseason with multiple decisions around the added starter on the team. Although not a permanent fixture of the Mets, the sixth starter need is probably one of the reasons why they tendered a deal to Paul Blackburn, as unexciting as it was to keep him. Furthermore, it had them seriously considering and eventually signing Griffin Canning to a team that already looked overcrowded with starting pitching. We got Brandon Waddell and Justin Hagenman for additional depth. The jury has yet to fully come in on them.

The added rest hasn’t led to lengthier outings by Mets pitchers or necessarily changed the outcome of games. Thanks to a schedule that provided enough off-days early in the year, they have only had to turn to a sixth starter a small number of times, including Huascar Brazoban who worked as an opener.

At his salary, Senga is living up to expectations and more. His lethal forkball has held batters to a 5 for 59 result with 29 strikeouts. It has a 41.8 whiff percentage. It’s one of the best “out” pitches in the game this season.

The Mets have gotten exactly what they should’ve expected from Senga. In year one, he was a Cy Young candidate. Year two was an injury. Year three is back to brilliance. All of it is at a perceived bargain rate financially even when we factor in the added cost of having to work around his need for extra rest.