Chris McMonigle continues to maintain that the Mets need a legit ace atop their starting rotation, and he believes he has found a potential solution that would secure the top pitcher left on the market.
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Corbin Burnes could be open to taking a short-term deal with a high AAV, similar to what Blake Snell signed with the Giants last year before signing a monster five-year deal with the Dodgers this offseason. C-Mac says the Mets should be all over that, and not relying on striking gold with risky signings for a second straight offseason.
“It worked last season, and I’m not so sure it’s gonna work again,” C-Mac said. “You need legitimate starters.
“I think it’s something they should start preparing for right now and getting ready to present to Corbin Burnes...there’s a chance that Corbin Burnes’ market might end up going the way a lot of market went for Scott Boras pitchers last year...we saw a lot of those players not get the contract they wanted, and ultimately sign short-term deals.”
The Mets so far have signed Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes as their new starters, with Holmes years removed from his last start and Montas years removed from his last good season. C-Mac says the team should be trying to capitalize on every year of Juan Soto’s prime, and pitching cannot drag them down.
“That is something I immediately would go do if I were the Mets. Immediately,” C-Mac said. “And I would pay him crazy money.
“The Mets have a fundamental belief that you do not pay stating pitchers into their aging years. I get it. But you also need starting pitching to win. You can pretend you have this Midas touch and everything you’re gonna do is turn out to be great, Clay Holmes is gonna be an excellent starter and Frankie Montas is gonna turn back into the pitcher he was four years ago...I find that highly unlikely. I don’t care how good your pitching lab is.”