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New York Mets: Three free agents that can replace Zack Wheeler

By Joseph Romano

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 04: Starting pitcher Zack Wheeler #45 of the New York Mets throws to a Washington Nationals batter in the first inning at Nationals Park on September 04, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 04: Starting pitcher Zack Wheeler #45 of the New York Mets throws to a Washington Nationals batter in the first inning at Nationals Park on September 04, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
(Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

3. Jake Odorizzi

A clear option to fill this rotation spot is Odorizzi because he has an above-average arm and also falls below the top tier of Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg– if he opts out- Zack Wheeler, and Hyun-Jin Ryu. The only issue is the pending question of whether the Twins will slap the qualifying offer tag on him.

Not only may Odorizzi accept this offer- due to the fact that most teams steer clear of veterans with the draft pick compensation tag- but the New York Mets should avoid surrendering futures at all costs. Any potential free-agent addition with a QO attached to them should simply be avoided.

However, if there is no tag on Odorizzi he is the perfect candidate for the job, as he can easily hold his own in this Mets rotation. He would logically slot into the fourth or fifth starter soy, yet proved his adequacy in the top half of the rotation in Minnesota this year.

He is widely considered to be a control pitcher, who has the ability to record a few strikeouts- 178 strikeouts in 159 innings in 2019. He also posted a 3.6 WAR in 2019, which echoed his best years in Tampa Bay, after his initial struggles in the Twin Cities.

He boasts a wide repertoire- including a 91 mph fastball, 83 mph slider, 84 mph split-finger, 73 mph curveball, and 87 mph cutter.  He typically uses the fastball, slider, and split-finger in tandem, as he throws those three pitches approximately 93.3 percent of the time.

Overall, he should be the Mets top targets because he is a stand out of the second tier of starting pitching free agents. He also could probably be signed for at or around a $10 million average annual salary, which is always something to consider with the Mets.  However, the QO question will have to be solved first because it is essentially a deal-breaker.

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