The Mets announced today that they have signed righty Michael Wacha, as previously reported. To create 40-man space, the club designated fellow right-hander Chris Mazza for assignment.
Mazza made his MLB debut last year, throwing 16 1/3 innings of 5.51 ERA ball over nine outings. He was better in the upper minors, working in the mid-three ERA range in stints at the Double-A and Triple-A levels. Mazza has a penchant for drawing groundballs on the farm, though he’ll need to prove he can do so consistently in the bigs if he’s able to earn his way back up.
Wacha tells reporters that he expects to function as a starter in New York. Indeed, that was a key factor in his decision, he suggested. (Via MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo, on Twitter.) With Rick Porcello also set to join the staff on the same premise, it seems the Mets will at some point strike a trade involving another starter (or have some explaining to do).
Sk8rboi
This is proof that Syndergaard is going to be traded. Syndergaard, Cespedes, Rosario for Whitley, Tucker, and Correa
stevecohenMVP
lol proof? how so?
Houston does not do that trade
Mets Fan For Life
They are not trading syndergaard and astros not trading correa together with top 2 prospects.
Francys01
Thank you, Wacha for the time in St Louis. Good luck with the Mets.
ABCD
Yes, sorry to see Wacha out of the NL Central.
@DaOldDerbyBastard
See you later boi.
rct
Only a buffoon would think that signing two aging, back-end starters with huge injury and/or performance question marks would mean that they’re trading their #2 starter.
txman22
Watching Tucker in post season he didn’t impress me. Looked overpowered by fastball & couldn’t lay off high one.
dugmet
no.
iamhector24
Please stick to pop songs.
david klein
Question is what Wacha’s role will be? Please don’t trade Matz or Thor
stevecohenMVP
swingman/longman in BP
whynot 2
It’s too early in the off-season for wacha to have settled for a bullpen role. There are plenty of third tier teams who would have let him start for the same kind of monetary commitment
allweatherfan
If you need a starter for 3-4 innings, Wacha is your guy.
SheaGoodbye
There is no room for him in the rotation and we have very limited starter depth as it is.
He has to go to the pen and wait for an injury.
david klein
Issue is he has incentives built in for starts
Dan Hunter
Wacha Davis Lowrie
trade bait
khopper10
Nobody’s biting
Bill M
Personally I don’t think any of the Mets six starters will be traded before the trade deadline. They can start the season with a six man rotation and soon enough, someone will get injured
jorge78
Good chance of that Bill M!
So many injuries these days…..
SheaGoodbye
And god knows we need a legitimate 6th starter, given who we had to trot out there last season whenever someone missed a start.
Even an innings-eater type of starter would do wonders for the team, both in terms of actual performance as well as in sparing the bullpen.
Eatdust666
Yeah, because it seems like playing for the Mets can be a guaranteed injury for a certain player.
Bill M
It does seem that way. But really, all teams have that issue to some degree. Look at the Yankees last season. With all the injuries they had, their depth still lead them to the playoffs. And the 2019 Mets weren’t nearly as injury prone as the 2018 team
CFAP
Good luck to the Mets. I hope you get the most out of those 14 starts this year from Wacha.
angt222
Mazza should join former Mets teammates Flexen and Gagnon and sign with a Korean baseball team.