No, I speculated Workman because the Mets were reported to want MLB players in return, still wanting to compete in 2020. Workman would give them that — or at least that cover (“Don’t worry Mets fans, this guy’s got a 2.08 ERA!”).
Workman’s been great this year, but I’m surprised by how closely many folks here are guarding him. He’s got one of the oddest profiles in baseball. He’s had a long injury history, he’s not a super hard thrower, and his 47% curveball rate is a high injury risk. That super low home run rate (1 in 47 innings), very high walk rate (6.04 BB/9), an absurdly low BABIP (.174) would feel more sustainable to me if he were 25, but he’s 31 in two weeks. The only other similar statistical comp for Workman is Ottavino — a compelling one to be sure, though it’s a different pitch mix and hardly predictive enough to bank on.
Do we really think this is Workman’s new baseline? Even if it is, he’s got one more year under contract. Do we think that year, plus the chance of re-signing him long term at 32 — isn’t worth giving up for 3.5 years of a dominant 25-year-old with the third highest swinging strike rate in baseball from 2018-19?