The deal is for five years while Kodai Senga earns $75M, averaging a very affordable $15M per season. Senga does have the option to exit the deal after the 2025 season and become a free agent, which I 100% expect him to utilize.

The right-hander will be 30 years old by Opening Day, meaning he’ll be 33 by the time he’s able to opt out of the deal. This will give Senga the opportunity to hit Free Agency for the second time, and demand a higher pay day.

For now, I expect Senga to be slotted right behind Justin Verlander and ahead of Jose Quintana. However, Buck may choose to use left-hander Quintana ahead of Senga just to shake things up with a lefty smack dab in the middle of the rotation.

It’s hard to imagine a team, specifically a pitching rotation without Jacob deGrom, especially since he’s still an active player. However, there’s an argument to be made that this is actually a stronger team now, without deGrom.

Corne’s Cut:

The addition of Senga is a high upside move for a rotation that could go for upside instead of certainty. With the addition of Jose Quintana, the Mets added another arm to pitch quality innings and made this move for Senga even better. Senga will join a rotation with a lot of experience, and has a lot to learn about facing MLB Hitters.

I also believe a six man rotation should be a given now. Verlander, Scherzer, Quintana and Carrasco are all getting there in age. Senga is used to pitching once a week in the NPB, so for all starters there is a clear plus with having a six man rotation. This also gives a spot to either Megill or Peterson with the other likely being a swing man.

The Mets revamped their rotation with upside, depth and a lot of flexibility, in little over a week. Great time to be a Mets fan.

Photo Credit: Clutch Points