New York Mets Rumors: Club Signs Dellin Betances, Retains Interest In Nolan Arenado

The New York Mets have made a splash in the free agent market after agreeing to a one-year deal with Dellin Betances and the club is retaining an interest in third baseman Nolan Arenado.

The Mets have yet to officially announce the Betances signing but MLBTradeRumors estimates that the deal is worth $10 million or at least close to it as that was the figure that the player wanted. As per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, the contract does include player options for both 2021 and 2022.

The former New York Yankee spent his entire career with the Bombers to this point. He made four consecutive All-Star teams from 2014-18 and was considered one of the elite relievers of the game at that time.

However, 2019 proved to be disastrous to Dellin Betances. He suffered a shoulder impingement in Spring Training which shut him down for five months before finally making his season debut. Things went from bad to worse as Betances then tore his left Achilles tendon in his only appearance of the campaign.

The pitcher turns 32 in March and is expected to have a bounce-back season in 2020. However, the Mets elected to offer the rolling opt-out clauses just in case Betances does not return to his pre-injury dominance.

One of the reasons the Mets got the Betances deal over the line was the restructuring of Yoenis Cespedes’ contract which saved the franchise almost $19 million in payroll for next season.

That restructuring also made a trade for Nolan Arenado a real possibility reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Arenado still has seven years and $234 million to go on his Colorado Rockies contract although he does have an opt-out clause after 2021.

The Rockies would also hold out for a huge offer for arguably their best-ever player. Sherman reckons that the deal would have to start with a major leaguer, perhaps Jeff McNeil or Brandon Nimmo, as well as dip into their relatively weak farm system.

The Mets, meanwhile, may opt to wait to see how their 2020 season starts before committing to making such a huge trade deal. After all, there are still questions around the likes of Betances and Jeurys Familia so New York can’t bank on being a contender as soon as next season.

However, being that Arenado is among the elite players of the game, the Mets have a lot to gain from at least sitting down with the Rockies.