The Mets will have a third left-hander option for their rotation this season.
In an effort to create depth of rotation, the club acquired Joey Lucchesi of the Padres on Monday as part of a three-team deal that included the Pirates. In the trade, the Mets sent minor minor Endy Rodriguez to Pittsburgh. The Padres, meanwhile, acquired pitcher Joe Musgrove from the Pirates for four possible.
Lucchesi, 27, appeared in just three games for the Padres last season. A year earlier he was going 10-10 with an ERA 4.18 and a WHIP 1,222 in 30 starts for the team.
He spent most of last season at the Padres ’alternate training ground as the team looked to the younger pitchers. In his three appearances last season, Lucchesi reached an ERA of 7.94.
The move gives the Mets another potential left-wing starter, joining David Peterson and Steven Matz, for their rebuilt rotation. The arrival of Lucchesi will make it easier for the Mets to move Seth Lugo to the bullring.
As it stands, the Mets have Jacob deGrom, Carlos Carrasco, Marcus Stroman, Peterson, Matz, Lucchesi and Lugo as rotation options to start the season. The Mets also expect Noah Syndergaard to return in June after Tommy John’s surgery is rehabilitated.
Lucchesi has minor league options left, so even if he didn’t scratch the Mets ’roster during spring training, it would provide depth to Triple-A Syracuse. He will not be eligible for refereeing until next low season.
Lucchesi was dispensable for the Padres because of his wild low-season run, which has included the additions of Yu Darvish and Blake Snell to his rotation, in addition to Musgrove.
But the Mets, under new owner Steve Cohen, team president Sandy Alderson and general manager Jared Porter, have rebuilt their own rotation.
It started with Stroman, who accepted the club’s qualifying offer worth $ 18.9 million for this season and continued with the incorporation of Carrasco, who reached an agreement that led Francisco Lindor of Cleveland.
Matz is the wildcard of the rotation mix. The left-hander reached an ERA of 9.68 last season and was demoted to the bullring, but the Mets offered him a contract this offseason and the parties agreed to a one-year deal for 5, $ 25 million.
Although Lugo has expressed its preference for starting as a starter (last season it pushed him to this role out of necessity), his best work has come from the bullring, where he was one of the best lifeguards in the National League in 2018 and 19.
Still waiting for a possible initial rotation depth, the Mets are scheduled to explore a showcase in Miami on Tuesday featuring veteran starters Julio Tehran and Anibal Sanchez.
The Mets’ big offseason season has also included the signing of Capt. James McCann for a four-year deal worth $ 40.6 million and reliever Trevor May for a two-year contract worth 15.5 million dollars.
But the Mets may not be finished as they continue to look to sign George Springer, the best free agent on the market, and Brad Hand, a quality left-handed reliever. The Blue Jays are Springer’s only other known contender, whom the Mets would like to install as a center fielder, allowing Brandon Nimmo to play on the left. Hand, who has been linked to several teams, became a free agent after Cleveland, in payroll mode, rejected his 2021 option.