The top 4 Black Friday bargains the Mets should pursue

2) Zac Gallen is an intriguing arm that could provide great value in the Mets’ rotation.

Gallen is coming off of a season in which he set career-highs in starts (23) made and innings pitched (121.1). However, he also set his career-high in ERA at 4.30 and WHIP at 1.29. While he doesn’t have the flashiest stuff, he knows how to pitch.

The concern with Gallen is his command, or more accurately his lack thereof. He walks almost 10% of the batters he faces and averages 3.6 BB/9. If he can command his pitches better, he has the ability and the makeup to be a very impactful pitcher.

His Savant metrics from this season are pretty spread out. His strikeout rate was in the 70th percentile, which is good. Unfortunately, some of his hard hit metrics were poor, with his hard hit rate in the 18th percentile. If he can harness that command more, he should be able to avoid the middle of the zone and get more swings and misses.

Gallen has four years of control remaining and the Diamondbacks won’t be competing in any of them. In 2019, his ERA was 2.81 and in 2020 it was 2.75, so the ace potential is absolutely there. Since he’s coming off his worst season in terms of ERA and WHIP, he could be a cost-effective replacement for Marcus Stroman.