Mets Reportedly In Contact With Dallas Keuchel

In recent seasons, starting pitching has been the Mets’ forte, and the thought of adding another All-Star caliber pitcher, let alone a former Cy Young winner, would be an added bonus. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, there have been discussions between multiple teams and free agent starter Dallas Keuchel, and one of those teams is the New York Mets.

The Mets have already started the season off with a bang and currently have a 4-1 record. Their lineup, has been performing well so far this season, due to surging rookie first baseman Pete Alonso,  along with Wilson Ramos and Amed Rosario. Closer Edwin Diaz and Jeurys Familia have gotten the job done out of the bullpen. It is too early for the starters to have reached their full strength although reigning NL Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom pitched a gem in his first start, and the rest of the rotation should be able to find their way very soon.

Despite the Mets starting off hot, this has been a routine for the team in recent seasons as they seem to win in the month of April only to decline for the remainder of the season. There have been exceptions, such as the 2015 season, when the Mets had an 11 game winning streak in April and turned that into a World Series appearance. It is unpredictable to know right now where the Mets will end up this season.

If the Mets were to add Keuchel to the rotation, that could increase their chances of a winning season. Keuchel was expected to be a highly coveted free agent this past offseason, however, teams were not willing to sign the former American League Cy Young winner and he is still looking for his next team. Keuchel had a down year in 2018, going 12-11 with a 3.74 ERA, but would still be a solid addition to the Mets and would give the Mets playoff experience should they reach the playoffs.

The Mets signing Keuchel would give them two Cy Young winning pitchers, as well as Noah Syndergaard, who has the potential to be as dominant as the previous two, but has dealt with injuries in his career, and has yet to reach his full potential. If this could be the year Syndergaard stays healthy and gives the Mets around 12-15 wins, or more, as well as deGrom and Keuchel leading the rotation, that is a playoff caliber rotation. They also have Zack Wheeler, another starter who could be discussed alongside deGrom, Syndergaard, and Keuchel as aces. Wheeler went 12-7 in 2018 with a 3.31 ERA, in his first full season since recovering from injuries for all of the 2015 and 2016 seasons and portions of the 2017 season.

Although the Mets are not guaranteed to sign Keuchel, and they were reportedly just doing “due diligence”, according to Rosenthal’s report in The Athletic, this does make sense and if it were to happen, it would remind me of the 2015 season as the Mets have essentially the same rotation, with Keuchel and Wheeler in place of Matt Harvey and Bartolo Colon. That rotation was the key to the Mets season that year and although it did not win them the World Series, it was the most successful season the Mets have had of late. If the lineup can consistently score runs to give the starter support, the Mets could be in a good situation, as that potential rotation gives you a chance to win more often than not. However, it is still only the first week of the season, and there is plenty of baseball to be played, and time will tell what the Mets decide to do. If all those scenarios do play out for the Mets, it could be an exciting season in Queens.