Rick Porcello is not seen as a household name among free agents in the same vein as Gerrit Cole or Stephen Strasburg. But take another look…
Rick Porcello, in no way, resonates with Gerrit Cole. He is, however, a free-agent this year at the same time the Mets and Yankees are looking for a proven force to complement their starting staff.
Both the Mets and Yankees are, for albeit different reasons, money-conscious. So be it. But in this offseason where the sweepstakes to sign either Cole or Stephen Strasburg, who has already turned down a gazillion dollars to become a free agent – how much will (eventually) be enough?
Yankees/Mets – The Big Splash?
The question persists then – will either the Mets or Yankees succumb to the irresistible lure of the back pages of New York newspapers – creating the “big splash” that overtakes the entire Hot Stove League throughout the winter, complete with the photo op of Cole in a Mets or Yankees uniform?
In this day of baseball, don’t (ever) count anything out. But when common sense is splashed back down to earth, there is an alternative, and perhaps even more if either team goes looking to fulfill their need without mortgaging the future.
Who is Rick Porcello? He’s not a future candidate for the Baseball Hall of Fame. He ranks 32nd in W.A.R. among active pitchers (Source: Baseball-Reference).
And he openly admits he has reservations about what lies before him as he enters what has become a battleground for free agents, even though he claims Super Agent Scott Boras in his fold.
Porcello, perhaps, has visions of the free agency plane working against him as it did last season for Dallas Keuchel and the year before that for Lance Lynn.
Who knows? But there seems to be an opportunity for a team – why not the Mets or Yankees – to swoop in to grab Rick Porcello before another team does.
Look closely and ye will find…
A few questions might help. Can the Mets or Yankees not use a starter who has averaged 30 starts or more with just under 200 innings pitched over the past eleven seasons be a valuable addition?
And even if we say the Cy Young, he won in 2016 when Porcello went 22-4 was a fluke in a year when the Red Sox did not win a title, the bulk of his work stresses reliability and consistency.
Neither the Mets or Yankees need to get overwhelmingly excited, though, as Porcello will not come cheap.
At age 30, Porcello is coming off a season in which he earned slightly more than $21 million with the Boston Red Sox.
That’s not chump change to either New York team.
Gerrit Cole – thanks but no thanks
But weigh it against SNY’s Andy Martino’s estimate that the 29-year-old Cole will find a deal of at least seven years and make $33-35 million per year. This puts the floor of Cole’s contract at $231 million, making it the most lucrative deal ever given to a starting pitcher – and common sense should say – stop!
The marquee lights will shine on Gerrit Cole wherever he goes, just as they did last offseason for Patrick Corbin.
Let it be. For the Mets and Yankees, there are other fish in the pond. Throw your baits in the water, and you might be surprised what can happen…
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal.
