Mets Monday Morning GM: 3 free agent pitchers for the price of 1 Justin Verlander or less

2) NY Mets could should have signed Andrew Chafin with no questions asked

It feels like a rerun with Andrew Chafin and the Mets. They should’ve been all over acquiring him at last year’s trade deadline. They should’ve signed him in the offseason when he opted out of his deal with the Detroit Tigers. For some inexplicable reason, the Mets decided their bullpen was good enough as is.

Chafin ended up with a rather modest $5.5 million deal for 2023 with a team option for $7.25 million next season. However you want to tally it, this would’ve been a solid investment for the funds they ended up paying Verlander instead.

Chafin has been awesome out of the Arizona Diamondbacks bullpen even getting regular opportunities to close games. Was the chance to be a closer too tempting for him to turn down any offer the Mets could’ve made? Two years of guaranteed $7.25 million might have been enough for Chafin to take on any role out of the Mets bullpen.

If Chafin accepts the $7.25 million AAV for two years, we still have $15.05 million left to reach Verlander’s contract. Even if Bassitt would’ve cost a little more to keep in New York, there is financial room to navigate.

At least for this scenario, the Mets have decided to add Quintana and Senga as well and instead focus on bullpen spending. Let’s find one more arm to sign.