3 more former NY Yankees players the NY Mets should look to sign after Luis Severino

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The New York Mets made their first big move of the offseason, signing Luis Severino to a one-year deal worth $13 million. Normally one-year deals carry minimal risk, but in the case of Severino, a pitcher coming off an abysmal year with a lengthy injury history, it's one that Mets fans are rightfully at least a bit concerned about.

The upside is very clear. At his best, Severino is an all-star caliber pitcher that would slot in perfectly in the middle of the Mets rotation. However, at his worst, he's a guy who will rarely take the ball and we just saw him put up a 6.65 ERA in 19 appearances for the Yankees this past season.

Severino isn't the first former Yankee added to the Mets organization this offseason, as the Mets chose former Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza to be the team's new manager. This could be a new trend, with more former Yankees coming to Queens alongside Severino. These three former Yankees should interest David Stearns at some level.

1) Jordan Montgomery

You knew he'd be here. Jordan Montgomery spent the first five and a half seasons of his career in pinstripes before being traded at the 2022 trade deadline to the Cardinals. Since leaving the Yankees, Montgomery has developed into a legitimate frontline starter. This past season, he was traded from St. Louis to the Rangers, where he'd not only help them make the playoffs, but he was one of their key arms on their way to winning the World Series.

Montgomery enters free agency at the perfect time, coming off arguably his best season. While that's always a bit of a concern, there's every reason to believe the southpaw will be the frontline starter capable of eating innings that this team desperately needs.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto is clearly the best Mets fit considering his youth and no qualifying offer attached, but Montgomery is arguably right behind him. The qualifying offer eliminates an arm like Blake Snell from entering the equation, and Montgomery does not have one attached to him. The Mets can sign him without forfeiting draft compensation.

This former Yankee can slide right into that second spot in the rotation behind Kodai Senga and provide the veteran influence and reliability that this rotation needs.

2) David Robertson

David Robertson was more recently a Met than a Yankee, but he began his career in the Bronx. Robertson spent each of the first seven years of his career with the Yankees, eventually taking over as the team's closer for the great Mariano Rivera. From there, he'd make a whole bunch of stops pitching late in games before eventually signing with the Mets ahead of the 2023 season.

As a Met, Robertson was everything they could've hoped. He had a 2.05 ERA in 40 appearances and 44 innings pitched serving as the team's primary closer with Edwin Diaz out. Robertson did struggle after New York shipped him off to Miami at the trade deadline, but his strong finish (1.74 ERA in September) helped the Marlins make an unlikely postseason appearance.

Whether Robertson would seriously entertain coming back after the Mets traded him remains to be seen, but he'd be a nice fit once again. This team needs to bring in several relievers as other than Edwin Diaz, Brooks Raley, and Drew Smith, it's hard to know who will even be on the Opening Day roster.

He might be 38 years old, but Robertson clearly has something left in the tank. The Mets bringing him back for another season to help a depleted bullpen in the vision they had thought of before the 2023 season as Edwin Diaz's set-up man would be wise.

3) Harrison Bader

Harrison Bader was the player the Yankees acquired when they sent Jordan Montgomery to the Cardinals, so it'd be ironic if the Mets brought them both to Queens. Bader was a long-time Cardinal before his year in the Bronx. He's had his ups and downs throughout his career, and his time with the Yankees was no exception.

He was limited to just 14 regular season games with the Yankees last season as he was recovering from injury, but in the postseason he became somewhat of a folk hero, carrying them to an ALCS appearance. This past season Bader missed time due to injury (as he often does) and took a bit of a step back offensively.

With the Yankees out of contention they placed Bader on waivers where he'd eventually get picked up by the Reds. His offensive numbers weren't great, as he slashed .232/.274/.348 with seven home runs and 40 RBI, but this is still an intriguing player the Mets should consider.

As things stand right now, the Mets don't have a fourth outfielder. Yes, D.J. Stewart is capable in the corners, but he's not the traditional fourth outfielder who can play all three outfield spots. Bader on the other hand, is one of the better defensive center fielders in the game. That's where his game shines.

The Mets are known to sign the speedy defensive-minded fourth outfielder as they seem to do it every year, but Bader would provide a bit more with the bat than those guys. He's not the best hitter in the world, but he's not an automatic out either. Bringing the 29-year-old New York native to Queens to be the team's fourth outfielder who'd also be a capable fill-in if a starter went down makes a lot of sense.

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