The Mets Prioritized Depth Over Big Signings This Off-Season

The Mets avoided the deep waters of the market but emerged with an overflowing haul: 10 major league free agents to flood all corners of the roster — catcher, infield, outfield, rotation, bullpen. On Friday the team agreed to terms with another starter, giving Taijuan Walker, a two-year, $20 million contract and adding him to a group that includes Jacob deGrom, Carlos Carrasco, Marcus Stroman, David Peterson, Joey Lucchesi and, soon enough, Noah Syndergaard.

The deal for Walker was confirmed by a person with direct knowledge of it who was granted anonymity because the Mets had not announced the contract. Walker, a 28-year-old right-hander with eight seasons in the majors, had a 2.70 earned run average in 11 starts for Seattle and Toronto last season.

“The addition of a guy like Walker would be just tremendous,” Manager Luis Rojas said on Friday. “You talk about depth in every aspect of the game, whether it’s starting pitcher, bullpen or position players, it’s always a luxury. A guy like him, he just makes your rotation so strong when you can add him.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/19/sports/baseball/mets-taijuan-walker.html