Alika Jenner/Getty Images
Taking advantage of the Oakland Athletics’ desire to slash their payroll before the start of the season, the New York Mets upgraded their already-strong starting rotation by acquiring Chris Bassitt.
Per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Mets will send pitchers J.T. Ginn and Adam Oller to Oakland in exchange for Bassitt.
Bassitt becomes the second major addition to New York’s rotation this offseason. The team signed three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer to a three-year, $130 million contract on Dec. 1 before the lockout began.
Mets’ Projected Starting Rotation (2021 Stats)
No. 1: Jacob deGrom, RHP (15 starts, 7-2, 92 IP, 1.08 ERA, 0.55 WHIP, 146 K)
No. 2: Max Scherzer, RHP (30 starts, 15-4, 179.1 IP, 2.46 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 236 K)
No. 3: Chris Bassitt, RHP (27 starts, 12-4, 157.1 IP, 3.15 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 159 K)
No. 4: Taijuan Walker, RHP (30 appearances, 7-11, 159 IP, 4.47 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 146 K)
No. 5: Carlos Carrasco, RHP (12 starts, 1-5, 53.2 IP, 6.04 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 50 K)
The 2022 season is Bassitt’s final year of arbitration. Spotrac estimates he will earn $8.8 million.
The Mets already had the highest payroll in Major League Baseball before Saturday’s reported deal. Their 26-man payroll was at $255.5 million, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts. The only team within $20 million of that total is the Los Angeles Dodgers ($236.5 million).
New York is going to end up over the $260 million mark once Bassitt’s salary gets locked in.
Assuming the Mets don’t make any other moves and that figure holds, they will set a new MLB record for highest payroll in a single season. The 2016 Dodgers currently hold the record at $253.6 million.
A trio of Jacob deGrom, Scherzer and Bassitt is as formidable as there is in MLB. DeGrom’s durability will be a question mark after he missed the final three months of the 2021 campaign with a forearm strain and elbow issues.
Prior to the injury, deGrom was off to a historic start. The four-time All-Star had a 0.71 ERA in eight starts through May, the fourth-lowest by a pitcher through his first eight starts in MLB history.
Scherzer hasn’t posted an ERA above 3.15 in a full 162-game season since 2012. The 37-year-old has averaged at least 10 strikeouts per nine innings in 12 consecutive seasons.
Since returning from Tommy John surgery in 2018, Bassitt has quietly been one of the best starters in the American League over the past four seasons. The right-hander has a 3.23 ERA and 1.14 WHIP over 412 innings in 77 appearances during that span.
Bassitt has finished in the top 10 of AL Cy Young voting in each of the past two seasons. He was named to his first All-Star Game in 2021.
There are some factors that could bring Bassitt’s numbers down from their recent highs.
According to Baseball Savant’s Statcast Park Factors, Oakland’s RingCentral Coliseum is tied with T-Mobile Park and Busch Stadium as the worst offensive park in MLB over the past three seasons. Citi Field ranks 19th during that span.
The A’s have had a fantastic defense, particularly the infield with Matt Olson, Matt Chapman and Elvis Andrus. The Mets have Francisco Lindor at shortstop, but they were below-average defensively at first base, second base and third base last season.
As long as the Mets defense can play at a league-average level, Bassitt as the No. 3 starter in this rotation makes them even more dangerous as they chase a playoff berth for the first time since 2016.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
