3 former Mets that are off to a bad start with their new teams

After a shopping spree in the offseason left the New York Mets with the highest payroll in baseball, many starters from last years roster had been replaced with newer options. The team re-hauled most of its pitching staff, including multiple starters as well as letting several key bullpen members walk and join new teams this winter.

Some of these former Mets have failed miserably in their first appearances of the year. While this season hasn't gone exactly how Mets fans had hoped thus far, they can relax a bit easier knowing it would've been much worse if the front office had signed one of these players.

Former New York Mets pitcher Chris Bassitt has been plagued by the long ball for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Aquired in a trade with the Oakland Athletics before the 2022 season, Chris Bassitt was the definition of an "inning eater" for the Mets. With a 15-9 record and 3.42 ERA, Bassitt served as a reliable third option for a team that faced injury concerns on the pitching staff all season.

Bassitt was essentially replaced with Kodai Senga this offseason, and promptly signed a 3 year, $63 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto signed him hoping he could repeat his successes from 2022, or even return to his All-Star form from his time with Oakland in 2021. So far, they have gotten neither.

Through his first two starts, Bassitt is 1-1 with a horrifying 10.61 ERA. He did not make it out of the third inning in his first start, giving up nine earned runs in 3.1 innings. In just nine innings of work, Bassitt has already fallen victim to five home runs, including this absolute bomb to Mike Trout:

Chris Bassitt's time in Queens might be most remembered by his shortcomings, as he struggled mightily in the Mets game 3 loss to the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card round. While letting a pitcher of his talent walk was an issue that divided some fans, right now it appears clear that the Mets did the right thing by prioritizing Senga instead.

Former New York Mets pitcher Trevor May has had a rough start on the worst team in baseball.

The Mets signed Trevor May in 2021 with the hopes of having him be an elite setup man for Edwin Diaz. May had a great first year with the team, but injuries and a 5.04 ERA in 2022 had some Mets fans hoping the team wouldn't keep him around for the future.

To the suprise of many, the Oakland Athletics signed May to a 1 year, $7 million contract this offseason, making him their highest paid player on the roster. Whether the A's wanted to make May their closer or simply use him for trade bait is still up in the air, but regardless he has had a terrible showing to open up the 2023 season.

Through five appearances, May has labored through 4.2 innings of work with a 7.71 ERA. While he has managed to put together a 2-1 record, that is about the only thing May has going for him thus far; he has surrendered eight walks and blew the only save opportunity he got.

By all accounts, May is a great teammate and frequently interacted with Mets fans on social media, for better or worse. However, his rough 2022 spelled an end to his time in New York, and most Mets fans who watched him pitch last year can't be too surprised with how poorly he has started this season.