New York Daily News columnist John Harper says the New York Mets should be targeting Cleveland Indians’ right-hander Jake Westbrook in their search for starting pitching help.
From Harper.
I know, I know, that’s not exactly a name that makes Mets fans ecstatic. Personally, of the available pitchers in that category, I’d rather have Ted Lilly, Brett Myers, Ben Sheets or Jeremy Guthrie, but all indications are those pitchers’ teams are all looking for at least one top prospect in a trade.
None of them are worth Jenrry Mejia or Wilmer Flores, and there is doubt among baseball people about whether Fernando Martinez is highly regarded enough these days to get such a deal done.
The Indians, meanwhile, would trade the 33-year-old Westbrook in a minute for a mid-level prospect if the Mets would pick up most of what’s left on his $11 million contract this season.
Westbrook is 6-5 with a 4.67 ERA in 113 innings, and he pitched poorly against the Mets when they were in Cleveland a few weeks ago. That outing caused some Mets people to “jump ship” on him, according to one person in the organization who still thinks the righthanded sinkerballer is worth a shot.
“He’s a veteran with a reputation as a gamer,” the Mets person said, “so you have to think he’d be revitalized by getting out of Cleveland and getting into a pennant race. His sinker-slider type stuff would get a boost coming to the National League, too.”
This is actually not a horrible idea, as long as all you are looking for is back end of the rotation help.