Mets predicted to acquire $18 million Orioles starter in deadline blockbuster

The New York Mets added two key pieces back to their rotation over the weekend, but they're still an arm short.

In Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea, the Mets added a pair of arms they hope can carry them to the finish line. Clay Holmes and David Peterson have also proved to be reliable, but they're not guys with a track record of throwing a full season's worth of innings.

So the Mets should be looking to add at least one more starter ahead of the Jul. 31 deadline, and seeing as competition will be stiff, they'll have to be aggressive to find one who can make an impact.

Would Zach Eflin of the Baltimore Orioles fit the bill?

In a recent YouTube video, Jim Riley of BALLCAP Sports predicted that the Mets would acquire Eflin (and the remainder of his $18 million salary) in a deadline deal with Baltimore.

"This feels like a David Stearns kind of move, right?" Riley said. "He adds length to the rotation. In case you have injuries, he's a great guy to fill in there. And he can pitch up to a top half of the rotation kind of guy."

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"He's not going to cost much, because he has a significant dollar amount attached to him already that the Mets would be picking up... So that's going to, I think, reduce the prospect that's going back in the other direction."

The 31-year-old Eflin certainly hasn't been at his best this season, pitching to a 5.95 ERA through 12 starts. His 5.71 FIP isn't much better, and he's been rocked for 16 home runs and .571 opposing slugging percentage in only 62 innings.

But the Orioles' entire pitching staff has been rocked, and sometimes, a free-agent-to-be just needs to get off his last-place team to regain his form. Will the Mets believe enough in Eflin to take the risk on acquiring him?

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