The New York Mets lost one of their best starting pitchers this offseason when Zack Wheeler signed a five-year deal with the Philadelphia Phillies, and they continue to replace the right-hander with some less expensive pieces.
The Mets have signed Rick Porcello to a one-year contract, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
The deal is worth $10 million, according to Jon Heyman of Fancred.
The move comes after the Mets also signed former St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Michael Wacha to a one-year deal on Wednesday.
Porcello spent the last five years with the Boston Red Sox, where he was durable but wildly inconsistent. He made 32 or more starts in each of the past four seasons, but he went 14-12 with a career-worst 5.52 ERA last year. Porcello’s best season came in 2016, when he won the AL Cy Young Award and went 22-4 with a 3.15 ERA.
While he is by no means a star, the 30-year-old Porcello is someone who can be depended on to take the mound every five days and throw strikes. That can be a valuable commodity for MLB teams. Porcello reportedly had multi-year offers, but he opted for the one-year deal with the Mets. He likely feels he can get more money next offseason if he has a solid year, so he should be plenty motivated to perform well in New York.
