Mets Pitching Coach Recommended Jose Berrios To Front Office
If there was ever a move to propel the Mets' already talented pitching staff into the No. 1 rotation in baseball, it'd be this one.
According to SNY's John Harper, pitching coach Jeremy Hefner has strongly recommended Minnesota Twins starter Jose Berrios to the Mets' front office.
Hefner was on the Twins' coaching staff as an assistant back in 2019, where he worked with Berrios, who impressed him.
With the MLB trade deadline exactly two weeks away, the Mets are looking for rotation help, and acquiring a pitcher of Berrios' caliber would give them four aces. Not to mention, that Carlos Carrasco's return to the club is looming as well.
While Jacob deGrom, Taijuan Walker and Marcus Stroman have all produced All-Star caliber campaigns so far, adding Berrios to the mix would not only improve their pitching depth, but add another arm with top of the rotation stuff.
Berrios is having a strong season for the fourth-place Twins, who are 15 games back in the AL Central. With Minnesota destined to be sellers, they could be looking to deal Berrios, who has gone 7-3 with a 3.48 ERA and 114 strikeouts across 18 starts.
As Dan Hayes of The Athletic recently reported, the Mets have already shown interest in Berrios, along with third baseman Josh Donaldson.
Berrios also has another year of control, which makes him an even more attractive trade chip. But he could come with the heavy price tag of Donaldson, who is 35-years-old and owed $42 million across the next two seasons.
The Mets have made it clear that they are willing to go over the luxury tax this year if it makes sense, but it is uncertain whether they would be willing to take on Donaldson's contract, even if they get Berrios.
On the other hand, starting pitchers Marcus Stroman and Noah Syndergaard are set to become free-agents after this season. By trading for Berrios before the deadline, the Mets would have a rotation that features him, deGrom, Walker and Carrasco without moving a muscle next year.
