3 pitchers Mets can sign after missing on Trevor Bauer

The Mets have several solid pitching options to consider after failing to land Trevor Bauer.

The New York Mets may be in a state of shock after Trevor Bauer decided to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was linked to the Mets all offseason and now the team will be looking to use the money allocated to him elsewhere.

Adding another starting pitcher should still be in the plans and the good news is there are legitimate arms still out on the market. The team can also sign a pitcher without paying him over $1 million per start like Bauer will earn.

Let’s take a look at three potential options for the Mets if they want to improve the rotation.

3. Rich Hill

Rich Hill still remains an intriguing rotation option at the age of 40. He spent the 2020 season with the Minnesota Twins, finishing with a 3.03 ERA in eight starts. Before that he was a reliable arm at the backend of the Los Angeles Dodgers rotation.

Hill would show up with plenty of experience and not a ton of surprises. He is known for his strategic pitching due to a lack of velocity. He also changes things up and adds a left-handed arm behind the trio of Jacob deGrom, Carlos Carrasco, and Marcus Stroman.

The veteran has a career K/9 of 9.5 and would be a nice, cheap one-year signing for the Mets. He is no Bauer, but is a reliable presence at the end of the rotation.

2. Jake Arrieta

Jake Arrieta is set to turn 35 years old in March and is looking for a new team after a disappointing three-year stretch with the Philadelphia Phillies. He signed a $75 million deal and posted a 4.36 ERA in his three seasons there.

The Mets have the money to overpay for Arrieta if needed. However, his market has cratered from where it was and teams have evidence he is no longer the same All-Star arm he was back with the Chicago Cubs.

This would be a bit of a risky signing, but once again the Mets have money to take on risks. The hope would be a change of scenery could help Arrieta turn things around.

1. Jake Odorizzi

Jake Odorizzi is the player to keep an eye on now that Bauer is off the market. He did only make four starts in 2020, but was an All-Star in 2019 when he went 15-7 with a 3.51 ERA. The right-hander also recorded 178 strikeouts in 158 innings.

He also represents the only real multi-year option on this list. Odorizzi will turn 31 years old in March and doesn’t appear to be on the career decline like Hill and Arrieta.

Signing Odorizzi to a multi-year deal adds another starter who could be near the top of the rotation on plenty of teams.

The Mets should have had backup plans in case Bauer signed elsewhere. Now that he did, they can move fast to avoid missing out on even more players.