Mets Sign Dellin Betances From The Yankees

Dellin Betances (Google Images)

Dellin Betances of New York, New York is staying in New York. However, he is switching New York teams. On Christmas Eve, Betances signed a one year contract worth $10.5 million. If, and right now it is a rather big if, Betances pitches in 70 games, he will earn $13 million.

The reason why it is completely uncertain if Betances will reach the 70 game plateau and get the $2.5 million bonus is because he missed most of 2019 with a shoulder injury. Then, when he did come back and pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays on September 15, Betances only pitched two-thirds of an inning before tearing his achilles tendon.

In Betances’s lone appearance in 2019, he struck out Blue Jays catcher Reese McGuire and then Brandon Drury in a 6-4 Toronto win at the Rogers Centre. The loss of Betances was key because the Yankees could have used him in the American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros.

Betances has pitched his entire eight year Major League Baseball career with the Yankees and has been in a reliever role. For four straight seasons from 2014 to 2017, Betances was a Major League Baseball All-Star. In 2014, Betances had a sparkling earned run average of 1.40 in 70 games, and then the following season in 2015, had a great earned run average of 1.50 in 74 games.

With the Mets, there is a possibility that Betances could slide into the closer’s role. Edwin Diaz had 26 saves for the Mets in 2019, but one simply cannot ignore the fact he had an earned run average of 5.59, a poor record of two wins and seven losses, and a poor WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 1.38.