The Mets will have a third option for lefties in their rotation this season.
In an effort to create depth of rotation, the club acquired Joey Lucchesi from Padres on Monday as part of a three-team deal that included Pirates. In trade, the Mets sent secondary league player Endy Rodriguez to Pittsburgh. The Padres, in turn, acquired the pitcher Joe Musgrove from Pirates by four players.
Lucchesi, 27, appeared in just three games for the Padres last season. A year earlier he was 10-10 with an ERA of 4.18 and a WHIP of 1.222 in 30 matches for the team.
He spent most of last season at the Padres’ alternative training location, while the team looked at the younger pitchers. In his three appearances last season, Lucchesi pitched for an ERA of 7.94.
The move gives Mets another potential left-handed starting player, joining David Peterson and Steven Matz for their rebuilt rotation. Lucchesi’s arrival will make it easier for the Mets to move Seth Lugo back to the bullpen.
As it stands, Mets has Jacob deGrom, Carlos Carrasco, Marcus Stroman, Peterson, Matz, Lucchesi and Lugo as rotation options to start the season. The Mets are also hopeful that Noah Syndergaard will return in June from Tommy John’s surgical rehabilitation.
Lucchesi still has options for the secondary league, so even if he didn’t break the Mets’ list in spring training, he would provide depth in Triple-A Syracuse. He is not eligible for arbitration until the next off-season.
Lucchesi was expendable for the Fathers because of his off-season binge, which included the addition 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, rebuilt their own rotation.
It all started with Stroman, who accepted the club’s $ 18.9 million qualification offer for this season and continued with Carrasco’s entry, who reached the deal that brought Francisco Lindor from Cleveland.
Matz is the wild card in the rotation mix. The southpaw dropped to 9.68 ERA last season and was relegated to the bullpen, but the Mets offered him a contract this off-season and the sides agreed to a $ 5.25 million one-year contract.
Although Lugo declared his preference for shooting as a starter – he was pushed into this role last season out of necessity – his best work came from the bullpen, where he was among the best NL relievers in 2018 and 19.
Still looking for a potential starting rotation depth, Mets plans a showcase on Tuesday in Miami, featuring veterans Julio Teheran and Anibal Sanchez.
The Mets off-season also included the signing of Seeker James McCann for a $ 40.6 million four-year contract and the reliever Trevor May for a $ 15.5 million two-year contract.
But the Mets may not be over, as they continue to search for George Springer, the best free player on the market and Brad Hand, a quality southpaw reliever. The Blue Jays are the only other contender known to Springer, which the Mets would like to install as their central defender, allowing Brandon Nimmo to play on the left. Hand, who has been linked to several teams, became a free agent after Cleveland, in reduced payroll, declined his 2021 option.