SNY's Andy Martino will be responding to and breaking down answers to Mets questions from readers. Here's the latest...
Would the Mets have signed both Scherzer and Gausman if Gausman had accepted their offer? — @bulkypenguin47
U think the Mets add a starting pitcher when the lockout is over? (Rodon, Kershaw, Castillo) Also since the new universal DH rule is a thing, u think the Mets try to sign Schwarber? — @EdelbergSam
I took these questions together because they are related. Number one, yes — the Mets would likely have signed both Kevin Gausman
and Max Scherzer that weekend after Thanksgiving, had Gausman accepted their offer.
The one caveat there is that one never knows how the momentum of one event would have impacted another, but Steve Cohen was personally involved in recruiting both pitchers and very hopeful that the Mets would land them. On Saturday of that weekend, the Mets were actually more optimistic that Gausman would agree than Scherzer, but were continuing to woo Scherzer on a parallel track.
All of this is to say that yes, there will be a desire and budget for a starting pitcher once the lockout ends. It almost certainly won’t be Clayton Kershaw, but Carlos Rodon is an interesting free agent for them.
GM Billy Eppler will also be fully prepared to explore the trade market. As you surely know, Oakland and Cincinnati are the most obvious teams with starting pitching to move.
There will also be a glut of free agents looking to sign in a hurry, including the likes of J.A. Happ and Michael Pineda. No one is in the Gausman class, which is why the Mets really wanted him. But the team will be looking for someone else for sure.
Oh, you also asked about Kyle Schwarber. Have not heard anything about that, no.