Signing right-handed pitcher Ervin Santana would be a great addition to the Mets' starting rotation, but money talks and the Mets already have a pitching surplus.
One of the most exciting things to look forward to about the Mets’ 2015 season is their starting pitching. The starting rotation has improved considerably in recent years and this upcoming season will showcase that progression.
With young players like Jacob deGrom, Zack Wheeler, and the return of Matt Harvey to the rotation, the Mets’ starters are going to be a major threat to the National League. It's been said that you can never have too much pitching, and a free agent option the Mets could consider is veteran starter Ervin Santana.
Santana began his major league career—and has spent the majority of his career—in the American League with the Los Angeles Angels. He made his major league debut in 2005, where he finished the season with a 12-8 record and a 4.65 ERA. He finished his Angels career in 2012, a season in which he had a 9-13 record and a 5.16 ERA.
After his seven-year stint with the Angels, he was traded to the Kansas City Royals, and in 2013 he had a 9-10 record and a 3.24 ERA. He declined a $14.1 million qualifying offer from the Royals after that season, and after exploring free agency, signed with the Atlanta Braves and had a 14-10 record, 3.95 ERA ,and 3.39 FIP in his first year pitching in the National League.
Santana has a great track record on the mound and throughout his career and has been fairly consistent throughout his career. If the Mets sign him, they'll be adding a very good right-handed pitcher to their rotation, but money will definitely be the deciding factor.
After a couple of consecutive one-year deals with the Royals and Braves, Santana is probably looking for a multi-year deal and his track record says he deserves it. If other teams pass on him and the Mets are able to clear some payroll by trading some of their more expensive players—like Daniel Murphy and Bartolo Colon—they could conceivably throw themselves into the market for Santana. That does seem unlikely, though, given their depth of inexpensive starting pitchers and their other roster needs.