Mets sign former rival to bolster injury-plagued starting rotation
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and though the New York Mets are only four games into the season, the situation in Flushing has already gotten plenty desperate. New York is 0-4 and has had precious little to celebrate in the first week of the season. Worse yet, the rotation is already in shambles, as Tylor Megill made it only four innings before joining staff ace Kodai Senga on the injured list.
The Mets' free-agent pitching signings have been a mixed bag. Sean Manaea looked terrific in his first start, following up a strong spring with six innings of one-hit ball against the Tigers on Monday. Luis Severino was less successful, getting battered by the Brewers for 12 hits and six runs in five laborious innings two days earlier.
With nearly the entire lineup in a collective rut and a rotation that is already short on effective arms, the Mets have turned to a former rival for help.
SNY's Andy Martino has reported that the Mets have signed former Brave Julio Teheran to a Major League deal.
"It obviously makes all the sense in the world to bring in another arm, the Mets are very thin in the rotation"@martinonyc on the Mets finalizing a deal with veteran pitcher Julio Teheran: https://t.co/bp7MlRwnNH pic.twitter.com/VooWZhbH0T
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 3, 2024
The Mets pursued Teheran this offseason before he ultimately signed with the Orioles, but after not making Baltimore's major league roster, he became available again, and it looks like the Mets have pounced.
Teheran spent the first nine years of his career with Atlanta, compiling a record of 77-73 with a 3.67 ERA. Since last pitching for the Braves in 2019, he's bounced around the league, spending single seasons with the Angels and Tigers, though his time in Detroit was limited to one start after he injured his shoulder.
That injury would keep Teheran out of baseball for over two years before he caught on with the Brewers in May of last year. He started 11 games and put up a 3-5 record for Milwaukee, though he faded after allowing two runs or fewer in his first six starts.
Teheran looked sharp this spring, and it was a surprise that he didn't make the Orioles' Opening Day roster after allowing just five runs in 13 innings. While the Orioles are World Series contenders, the Mets look like anything but, and they'll welcome any help the 33-year-old is able to give them.
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