Top 10 free agent targets for the Mets when the lockout ends

9. Zack Greinke

He might not be the Cy Young Award winner from his days in Kansas City, he might not be the consistent all-star he was in Los Angeles, but Zack Greinke is still a guy the Mets can rely upon to take the mound every fifth day and give them a chance to win.

The Mets have the makings of a really good rotation but everyone has question marks. Can Jacob deGrom stay healthy? Is Max Scherzer going to make 32 starts as a 37 year old? Will you get first or second half Taijuan Walker? What will you get from a full season of Carlos Carrasco?

You know what you will get from Zack Greinke at this stage in his career. He's a guy who will take the mound every fifth day and allow three or four runs in five or six innings. If the offense is as improved as it should be, that's good enough.

He went 11-6 with a 4.16 ERA in 29 starts for the Astros this past season.

The Mets injury situation in the rotation was so bad they had to use guys like Jared Eickhoff and Robert Stock to start games for a team that was in first place. Greinke has made at least 26 starts in every full season played since 2008.

The Mets don't need five Cy Young candidates in their rotation. A veteran like Greinke with loads of postseason experience who can serve as a mentor to guys like Tylor Megill and David Peterson on a one-year cheap deal makes all the sense in the world in my opinion.