3 free agents the Mets let walk having a good year, 2 failing miserably

The New York Mets had an impossible task following a 101-win season. They had to find a way to build a roster that topped what last year's team did despite a large chunk of it hitting free agency. Two of the three starters who started postseason games last season hit free agency while pretty much the entire bullpen outside of Drew Smith did as well. That doesn't even include Brandon Nimmo who was the best center fielder on the market.

The Mets did what most felt like an admirable job, landing guys like Justin Verlander, Kodai Senga, David Robertson, among many others to replace those who departed. Unfortunately, the Mets wound up being massive sellers at the deadline and will, barring an absurd turnaround, miss the postseason.

It's fair to wonder what this Mets team would've done if they were able to just run things back. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be. What we can do is keep tabs on those who departed and wonder if they would've helped the Mets out based on their 2023 performances. The Mets made the right call letting some walk while others have proven them wrong more than halfway through the campaign.

Former NY Mets pitcher Chris Bassitt has had a good year for the Toronto Blue Jays

A lot of Mets fans definitely took what Chris Bassitt did in his only season in New York for granted. The right-hander took the ball every fifth day and barring only a couple of exceptions, kept the Mets in games and gave them consistent length. There's a reason the Mets went 20-10 in his starts. Bassitt had a 3.42 ERA in 181.2 innings pitched. He had a great year.

Unfortunately, things didn't end well for Bassitt in his last couple of starts and he departed for Toronto. His overall numbers don't appear to be quite the same because of three awful outings, but Bassitt has, for the most part, been his normal consistent self for the Jays.

The right-hander has a 4.00 ERA in 23 starts and 132.2 innings pitched. Kodai Senga leads the Mets with 20 starts and 110.2 innings pitched, and that's with him pitching every sixth day for most of the season. Availability and consistency have been issues all year with the Mets, and Bassitt provides that.

Bassitt has gone at least six innings 15 times this season. He's allowed three runs or fewer 17 times this season. The Mets record is quite good when their starters go six innings allowing three runs or fewer, and Bassitt does it consistently.

Former NY Mets pitcher Seth Lugo has had a good year for the San Diego Padres

The situations weren't exactly identical, but like Trevor Williams, Seth Lugo eyed a spot in a starting rotation. His odds appeared to be worse since he hadn't had much success in the majors as a starter and hadn't started a game since 2020, but Lugo wound up finding a spot with the San Diego Padres. It's worked out great for both sides.

Lugo did miss some time with injury, but has been really solid when healthy. In his 16 starts and 89 innings pitched he has a 3.54 ERA. He's allowed three runs or fewer in all but three of his starts and two runs or fewer in all but five of his starts.

Even with his previous lack of success as a starter, Lugo has done well getting deep in games this season, going at least six innings in 10 of his 16 starts. He's failed to complete five frames just twice.

This kind of success is really unprecedented from Lugo so the Mets can't really be faulted for letting him go like they can with a guy like Bassitt, but it's still frustrating knowing Lugo has been more consistent than both future Hall of Famers the Mets had in their rotation. With Lugo likely opting out of his contract after this season and the Mets having plenty of room in their rotation, who knows, maybe a reunion can commence.

Former NY Mets pitcher Trevor May is failing miserably with the Oakland Athletics

After a good first year with the Mets, Trevor May had a bit of a lost year in 2022. Injuries limited him to just 30 appearances, and his 5.04 season ERA wasn't exactly what he wanted to show off heading into free agency.

May had to settle for a one-year deal with the Oakland Athletics, a team that has wound up being on pace to be one of the worst teams ever.

The right-hander did miss time due to anxiety and has been better since returning off the IL, but he has a 4.55 ERA in 30 appearances seeing his walk-rate spike and his strikeout-rate collapse. In fact, he's walked 24 and struck out 24 in 27.2 innings pitched. That's not what you want to see at all. The 4.55 ERA isn't awful, but his 6.34 FIP and 1.672 WHIP tell a whole other story.

May's struggles were prevalent enough to make him unattractive to teams looking for relief help. Despite Oakland's putrid record and clear intent to sell, May remains an Athletic. That should tell you the whole story right there.

Former NY Mets pitcher Taijuan Walker has had a good year for the Philadelphia Phillies

At first, it seemed like Taijuan Walker's deal with the Phillies was going to be one of the worst deals signed in the 2022 offseason. He got off to a horrific start, posting a 6.53 ERA through his first nine starts. Since then, he's been a completely different guy.

Since May 21, Walker has a 2.64 ERA in 13 starts and 78.1 innings pitched. He's lowered his ERA from the aforementioned 6.53 to 3.99 and it keeps getting lower.

The Phillies have gone 11-2 in Walker's great stretch which is why they're even in the Wild Card hunt to begin with. Aaron Nola and Ranger Suarez have had down years for Philadelphia, so having Walker step up for a prolonged stretch like this has come in handy for the reigning NL champs.

Things didn't start well for Walker, but the Mets sure could've used what he's been doing in their rotation. The second half is here, and Walker has a history of falling apart in second halves, so we'll see how long his success lasts. For now, we can only wonder what the Mets season would've looked like if they had Walker in the first half.