Dellin Betances Rumors: Mets 'Not Likely' for Ex-Yankees RP Amid Phillies Buzz

The Philadelphia Phillies may emerge as the front-runners to land free-agent relief pitcher Dellin Betances, with the New York Mets now reportedly "not likely" to sign the former New York Yankees flamethrower.

Jon Heyman of the MLB Network provided the update Tuesday after Jack Curry of the YES Network reported Monday the Mets were in competition with the Phillies for him:

Betances hit the open market at an unfortunate time. He was one of the most dominant relievers in baseball over the five-year period from 2014 through 2018, but an injury-plagued 2019 season will probably limit his financial upside in free agency.

The 31-year-old New York City native is looking for a contract in the one-year, $10 million range to rebuild his value for another shot at a lucrative long-term deal next winter, per Heyman.

Betances owns a career 2.36 ERA and 1.04 WHIP with 118 holds and 36 saves after eight seasons with the Yanks, who selected him in the eighth round of the 2006 MLB draft. He's also struck out a jaw-dropping 621 batters in 381.2 innings (14.6 K/9).

He ranked second among relief pitchers in WAR (11.2) in the 2014-18 timeframe, behind only former Yankees teammate Aroldis Chapman (11.3), per FanGraphs.

The four-time All-Star made just a single appearance in 2019, though. He missed most of the year with a shoulder injury and, after working his way back in September, suffered a partially torn Achilles in his season debut.

Along with the injury issues, Betances saw a dip in his velocity during his rehab assignment and brief return to New York.

"A lot of guys have," Betances told reporters in September about finding success with a fastball in the lower-to-mid 90s instead of his usual upper 90s. "I don't see why I can't. I've just got to be able to change speeds, making sure you keep the hitters off-balance."

In Philly, he'd likely settle in as the chief setup man for closer Hector Neris, though those roles could change throughout 2020 depending on Betances' form.