The Mets made the signings of Jose Quintana and David Robertson official late Friday night, Quintana added on a two-year deal earlier this week and Robertson signing a one-year pact on Wednesday night right around the same time the team re-upped Brandon Nimmo.
In Quintana, the Mets ostensibly replace Chris Bassitt in the middle of their rotation with a veteran lefty who had a 2.93 ERA in 165 2/3 innings last season with Pittsburgh and St. Louis, including a 2.01 mark in 12 starts with the Cardinals, for whom he started Game 1 of the Wild Card Series.
“Over the last decade, José has been one of the most dependable starting pitchers in the majors,” Mets general manager Billy Eppler said in a team statement announcing the signings. “Adding another left-handed option to our rotation, especially one with his durability, experience, and moxie, will give our starting staff quality depth.”
Robertson, the ex-Yankee and Phillie, had a 2.40 ERA, 20 saves, and 81 strikeouts in 63 2/3 innings with the Cubs and Phillies last year, and will bring a veteran bridge to re-signed Edwin Diaz in the late innings of a Mets bullpen that will end up being almost completely revamped come Opening Day.
“We’re very excited to add a pitcher of David’s caliber to our bullpen,” Mets general manager Billy Eppler said. “He has been pitching in high-leverage situations for teams with Postseason expectations since his career started."
With Quintana in the fold, the Mets now have a top four of Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Carlos Carrasco, and Quintana, with David Peterson and Tylor Megill the top options for the final spot. However, Japanese ace Kodai Senga is said to be enamored by possibly joining the Mets, and their current depth won’t stop the team from trying to add further talent.
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“I feel pretty good about where it is right now, but still open to adding more,” Eppler said about the roster earlier in the week, per MLB.com. “I want to be opportunistic. If we can continue to add impact wherever it is -- whether it’s on the mound or whether it’s in the field -- we want to stay open to that.”
The same applies to the bullpen, where they have Robertson and Diaz in the back-end, traded for Brooks Raley, and retained Drew Smith, but they have already officially lost Joely Rodriguez and Trevor Williams and still see Seth Lugo, Mychal Givens, Trevor May, and Adam Ottavino in free agency – a sextet that threw 316 innings (including a few starts by Williams) last season.
As of now, the Mets have the aforementioned foursome for late innings, and they selected Zach Greene from the Yankees in the Rule 5 Draft, but they still have a lot of question marks in the middle.
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