Mets Monday Morning GM: 3 best free agent starting pitchers we could realistically expect

The free agent well is dry for starting pitching with these three as the best realistic choices.
Atlanta Braves v Philadelphia Phillies - Game Two
Atlanta Braves v Philadelphia Phillies - Game Two / Rich Schultz/GettyImages
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2) Vince Velasquez

A bit of an outsider to join the Mets because he won’t be expected to pitch until at least midseason, Vince Velasquez is actually coming off of a successful 8-start season with the Pittsburgh Pirates. A career-best 3.86 ERA (small sample of course) should have teams considering him later on this year if he can prove he’s healthy. A guy best known for his time with the Philadelphia Phillies, this free agent is clearly available because of the concerns of whether or not he will pitch at all this coming year.

Curiously, the Mets didn’t add any players in a “rehab status” to the roster this offseason. We saw the club sign John Curtiss back in 2022 all while knowing he’d miss the year. This was all a planned addition for the 2023 season. It didn’t work out well but it also didn’t kill the team.

A minor league deal with Velasquez wouldn’t cause any pain for the Mets. One reason to stay away is that by the time he is ready to pitch again, the Mets would like to think at least one if not more of the prospects could be MLB-ready.

He’s a warm body that might just earn a paycheck to rehab. Not even Brandon Woodruff was able to get a deal from the Mets to do this and he’s in a much higher class of player.