Mets Rumors: Jake Arrieta, James Paxton Interest NY After Trevor Bauer Pursuit

Having failed to land Trevor Bauer, the New York Mets reportedly are looking at some alternatives to bolster their starting rotation. 

According to SNY's Andy Martino, the Mets are looking at Jake Arrieta and James Paxton, though nothing is considered to be "close."

As Martino alluded to, Paxton would be the stronger of the two additions based on recent performance. Over the last five years, Paxton is 10th in FIP (3.20) and 17th in strikeout rate (10.6 per nine innings), per FanGraphs.

Staying healthy for a full season has been a challenge for the southpaw, though. He has yet to hit 30 starts in a single year and saw his 2020 campaign end abruptly due to a strained left flexor tendon.

Although Arrieta has a better overall track record in terms of durability, he had a bone spur in his right elbow that knocked him out after 24 starts in 2019.

The 34-year-old proceeded to post the second-worst ERA (5.08) of his career. His opponent's expected batting average has also climbed with each year since Baseball Savant first started tracking it in 2015. His .292 XBA put him in the bottom eight percent of MLB in 2020.

The Athletic's Eno Sarris and Ken Rosenthal reported MLB is planning to alter the baseballs it uses for 2021 in order to lower the number of home runs. A deader ball could benefit Arrieta, who has rarely been a high-strikeout pitcher and likely won't be going forward.

The Mets don't need to pursue an ace. They still have two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom and Marcus Stroman and acquired Carlos Carrasco from Cleveland. Given New York's depth, taking the chance on Paxton makes more sense if the two sides can make the money work.