Will Michael Wacha & Rick Porcello Help The Mets Starting Rotation?

The New York Mets have added two starting pitchers signing free agents Michael Wacha and Rick Porcello on one year deals. Wacha will earn a base salary of $3 million (incentives could push that up to $7 million) with Porcello earning $10 million.


Wacha has spent his entire professional career with the St. Louis Cardinals. A first round draft pick by the Cardinals in 2012, Wacha made his big league debut the following year and made a big splash by winning the 2013 NLCS MVP and pitching in the World Series. His best season came in 2015 when he won 17 games with a respectable 3.38 ERA and was named to the NL All-Star Team. But shoulder problems have impeded his progress. In 2019, Wacha struggled and was briefly sent to the bullpen. In 29 appearances (24 of them starts) Wacha went 6-7 with a 4.76 ERA. In seven seasons in St. Louis, Wacha went 59-39 with a 3.91 ERA over 165 appearances (151 starts). At 28, Wacha still has time on his side and perhaps a change of scenery is in order.


Porcello, who turns 31 on December 27th, already has 11 big league seasons under his belt - six in a Detroit Tigers uniform and the past five with the Boston Red Sox. There were a lot of ups and downs in Boston. In 2016, Porcello led the AL in wins with 22 and earned the AL Cy Young Award. But in 2017, Porcello led the AL in losses (17), hits (236) and home runs surrendered (38). Porcello won 17 games in 2018 en route to a World Series title, but in 2019 his ERA ballooned to a career worst 5.52 despite a winning record of 14-12. Unlike Wacha, Porcello has been durable starting at least 30 games in 9 of his 11 big league seasons. If nothing else, Porcello will give the Mets innings in 2020.


These moves give the Mets six potential starters. But unless new Mets manager Carlos Beltran plans on using a six man rotation one wonders if Noah Syndergaard, Marcus Stroman or Steven Matz will be pitching elsewhere in 2020. Only back to back NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob de Grom is untouchable. Given Wacha's injury history and recent troubles one might be hesitant to make such a move now. Even if Porcello and Wacha exceed all expectations they could easily be gone in 2021. So parting with Syndergaard, Stroman or Matz before the beginning of the season wouldn't be prudent. But prudence isn't one of Brodie Van Wagenen's virtues.