The Atlanta Braves swooped in to sign Dallas Keuchel and served up a gut punch to both the Yankees and Mets.
Dallas Keuchel could haunt the Yankees and Mets after signing with the Atlanta Braves as first reported by David O’Brien of The Athletic. Both New York squads engaged in talks with Keuchel, but the Mets dropped out early and the Yankees were eventually outbid according to Andy Martino of SNY.
It never seemed like the Mets were serious players for Keuchel, but the Yankees emerged as “true favorites” recently. Of course, the Yanks would lose out to the Braves.
For the Yankees, they will now pivot to the trade market to look to add a frontline starter. They could target big names like Madison Bumgarner, Max Scherzer, or even Marcus Stroman. However, it’s going to take a king’s ransom to acquire any pitchers of this caliber.
For the Mets, the Braves just added a former Cy Young winner to help solidify their rotation. It feels like the NL East race is going to come down to the Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets won’t keep pace in the division if they don’t make changes in the bullpen. However, if they manage to right the ship and challenge the Braves and Phillies, Keuchel could be the edge Atlanta needs to take the division.
The Mets are still theoretically in the playoff race. But it won’t be surprising to see them become sellers as the trade deadline approaches. Perhaps the Yankees will look to fill their Keuchel-sized void with a pitcher from Queens when the Mets begin selling.
