The Mets will be among the teams attending free agent Corey Kluber's throwing session next week, reports Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.
Per DiComo, the Mets also had someone at free agent James Paxton's throwing session in December.
Kluber, 34, has missed the majority of the last two seasons due to injuries -- including a shoulder injury in 2020 and a broken forearm in 2019 that was sustained when he was hit by a line drive.
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Before having most of the last two seasons wiped out because of health issues, Kluber was one of the best and most durable starting pitchers in baseball from 2013 to 2018, including posting a 2.25 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in 2017 and a 2.89 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in 2018.
Kluber pitched a combined 418.2 IP between 2017 and 2018.
As far as the 32-year-old Paxton, he missed a large chunk of the 2020 season due to a flexor strain in his left forearm. His 2019 was also interrupted by injury, when he dealt with a knee issue and a back injury that required surgery.
Paxton never reached the height that Kluber did, but he is another high-upside pitcher with plus stuff who could be primed to bounce back.
While either Kluber or Paxton would look great in the Mets' rotation if healthy and performing, New York will arguably need to add one more reliable pitcher to the rotation in addition to Jacob deGrom, Marcus Stroman, and David Peterson.
For example, that would mean signing Jake Odorizzi to go with deGrom. Stroman, and Peterson and then rounding out the rotation out with one of Kluber or Paxton.
The upside of Kluber in particular is tantalizing, though, and the risk when it comes to years and dollars will probably be low.
