The 5 most disappointing Mets free agent signings of the last 5 years

The last five years have been full of ups and downs for the New York Mets. They made their second half surge in 2019 that inspired tons of confidence only to miss the expanded playoffs in the shortened season of 2020. They won 101 games in 2022 and looked like they'd be even better in 2023 only to fall flat and win just 75 games.

The same can be said about how the Mets have done in free agency. Some hits, and a lot of misses. For every Aaron Loup, Adam Ottavino, and Taijuan Walker are some truly awful signings. These are the worst of the worst in the last half-decade.

5) Justin Verlander

Losing Jacob deGrom was obviously a big blow to this Mets team trying to compete in 2023, but replacing him with Justin Verlander felt like an upgrade. Sure, deGrom is the best pitcher on the planet when healthy, but he hadn't been healthy in years. Verlander on the other hand, had just won a Cy Young with the Astros and seemed to be only getting better despite being 40 years old.

The Mets had some rough injury luck right out of the gate and Verlander played a big role in that, as he missed the first month of the season with a teres major muscle strain. He pitched pretty well when healthy, but the time he missed wound up being crucial, and he had some duds in big games (notably one in Atlanta).

With the Mets out of contention, they traded Verlander away to the Astros in the deal that sent Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford back to Flushing. This could turn out to be a blessing in disguise, but for now, it's nothing more than a disappointment as the Mets got just 16 starts from Verlander in what was supposed to be at least a two-year deal.

4) Dellin Betances

For the better part of his eight-year career with the New York Yankees, Mets fans watch Dellin Betances pitch like one of the best relievers in all of baseball. He was a four-time all-star with the Yankees while posting a 2.36 ERA with them.

Injuries limited the right-hander to just one appearance in 2021, but the Mets still signed him to a one-year deal worth $10.5 million. He was expected to be a key contributor in a revamped bullpen which needed a late-game arm.

The right-hander wound up making 15 appearances for the Mets in the shortened 2020 season, but struggled mightily. He had a 7.71 ERA and had more walks (12) than innings pitched (11.2) and strikeouts (11). Additionally, Betances displayed diminished velocity on the mound. He averaged just 93.6 mph with his fastball in 2020 after consistently hitting the mid/upper 90's as a Yankee.

He made just one appearance in 2021 after accepting his player option before going onto the IL with shoulder issues. He would not make another appearance in the majors. To sum up, this guy who was expected to be a dominant late-game bullpen arm for this team that desperately needed it wound up posting a 7.82 ERA in 16 appearances across two seasons. Not great.

2) Max Scherzer

The Mets signed Max Scherzer to be Jacob deGrom's co-ace ahead of the 2022 season. It was Steve Cohen's first massive free agent splash and was seen as a piece that might not only catapult the Mets into postseason contention but completely change the culture. Players of Scherzer's caliber had never seriously considered the Mets in recent years in free agency.

Most of Scherzer's first year with the Mets was a success. He set a career best with a 2.29 ERA in 23 starts and 145.1 innings pitched. had he stayed healthy the entire year he would've been solidly in the NL Cy Young conversation. The way he finished was obviously extremely disappointing. He pitched poorly in a game the Mets had to have in Atlanta which would've won them the division, and then failed miserably in his playoff start against the Padres.

It felt like those late-season struggles found a way to impact him negatively this past season as Scherzer posted a 4.01 ERA in 19 starts for the Mets this season. He missed time due to injury and once again failed in starts that were considered big.

As they did with Verlander, the Mets wound up shipping Scherzer away at the trade deadline to the Rangers in the deal that brought Luisangel Acuna back to Flushing. Acuna being good would help a bit, but Scherzer not even lasting two of the three years he had in his deal is obviously extremely disappointing.

Scherzer wound up missing substantial time due to injury, and failed in games that mattered. He came in with an ironman reputation and as a guy known to be a big-game pitcher. He was neither with New York. There were positives, but the negatives outweighed them in the end.

1) James McCann

After being nothing more than a light-hitting catcher with the Tigers, James McCann turned into one of the best catchers in the American League with the White Sox. He was an all-star in 2019 and had an OPS over 100 points higher in the shortened 2020 season. His bat and glove had improved dramatically with the White Sox making him an appealing free agency target.

At the time McCann was developing into a strong catcher, the best one in all of baseball without a doubt was J.T. Realmuto who fittingly was also a free agent at the end of the 2020 season. The Mets with new owner Steve Cohen had a chance to steal Realmuto away from their division rivals, but did not. They opted to sign McCann before Realmuto agreed to his deal.

The terms of the deal based on the fact that McCann had only been good for a year and a half felt a bit extreme, but Mets fans entered this new beginning with an open mind. After getting no production from catchers in years, it was nice having a guy who could seemingly both hit and defend.

Immediately after signing his four-year deal worth $40 million to join the Mets, McCann turned back to the hitter he was in Detroit. He was one of few Mets able to stay healthy for most of the 2021 season, but had just a .643 OPS that season. He wound up performing even worse offensively in 2022, posting a .538 OPS and losing his starting job to fellow light-hitting catcher Tomas Nido.

In order to get rid of McCann, the Mets had to eat most of his contract and take on nothing in return. The Mets didn't need McCann to be an all-star, but expected him to be a capable hitter and solid defender. The defense was mostly there, but the bat was abysmal while Realmuto continued to be among the best in the game at the position in Philadelphia.