NY Mets should be cautious of pitchers with injury histories
James Paxton was one of the more curious additions to the Red Sox roster by Bloom. They took a flier on him and have paid the price. Although he has some success this year, much of his time with the Red Sox has been spent on the IL. He missed all of 2022. He has been an absolute mess in recent weeks when Boston had a chance to deal him at the trade deadline and get something in return.
No dice.
Paxton had already shown signs of being an injury risk. He made 5 starts for the New York Yankees in 2020 and only one more for the Seattle Mariners in 2021. It would almost be excusable for the Red Sox to get away with it if not for Chris Sale already being on their roster with a similar track record of getting sidelined.
Stearns could make similar moves for the Mets. Signing a free agent like Luis Severino falls into a similar category. Yes, he was excellent at one point. Even when healthy in more recent years, Severino has shown flashes of his old self.
Still haunted by the duo of Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha from 2020, the Mets aren’t really in a position to take a flier on someone. Let those with no intentions of playing in the playoffs do so. The Mets need the best players they can get, not the best bargains.
Be smart by not trying to show everyone how smart you can be.