Dallas Keuchel Rumors: Mets 'In Continued Contact' with Free-Agent Pitcher

The New York Mets are engaged in "continued contact with free-agent pitcher Dallas Keuchel," sources told Andy Martino of Sportsnet New York on Wednesday.

On Sunday, Ken Rosenthal and Dennis Lin of The Athletic reported that the Mets have "checked in" on the left-handed starter as well as closer Craig Kimbrel "as a matter of due diligence."

Keuchel, the 2015 American League Cy Young award winner, went 12-11 with a 3.74 ERA for the Houston Astros last season. The 31-year-old punched out 153 batters in 204.2 innings.

Keuchel would be a great fit on a Mets team that's in "win-now mode," as Martino put it. Notably, New York signed Cy Young winner Jacob DeGrom to a five-year extension and added second baseman Robinson Cano and closer Edwin Diaz in a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Mariners. The Mets clearly see themselves as contenders and are off to a good start with four wins in their first five games.

The back end of the starting rotation has some question marks, however. Fifth starter Jason Vargas, who went 7-9 with a 5.77 ERA last season, allowed nine baserunners and struck out just two batters in five innings on Tuesday against the Miami Marlins.

Vargas did end up with the win after allowing just two runs, but the Mets may have an issue if his form from last season wasn't an outlier. Martino said that the Mets "are monitoring Vargas' performance carefully."

At his best, Keuchel is a groundball and innings-eating machine. Per FanGraphs, his 66.8 percent groundball rate in 2017 was a career-best. Keuchel has also thrown for 200 or more innings in three of the last five seasons.

However, the left-hander took a step back in 2018, with a career-low 17.5 percent strikeout rate. His 53.7 percent groundball rate was his lowest mark since his 2012 rookie season.

Still, he could be a great fit in New York. Citi Field is one of the game's most pitcher-friendly parks, per ESPN's MLB Park Factors, so Keuchel's groundball abilities could be a massive asset in a place where it's difficult to hit a home run. In other words, don't expect many blowups if Keuchel takes the home mound in a Mets uniform.

As of now, however, Keuchel is without a team, and the Mets press on. They face the Marlins again on Wednesday before heading home for a three-game set versus the Washington Nationals.