Mets To Non-Tender Mike Pelfrey, Possibly Andres Torres, Too

News broke yesterday that the Mets are planning to non-tender Mike Pelfrey this winter. Drafted by the Mets with the ninth overall pick in the 2005 amateur draft, the typically durable 28-year-old right-handed pitcher missed almost all of the 2012 season after he underwent Tommy John surgery early in the season.

Between 2006 and 2012, Pelfrey threw a total of 896.1 innings and posted a 4.36 ERA. He's never been a strikeout artist, to say the least, and has thus been heavily dependent on control and defense. His walk rates haven't been awful over the years, but he has by no means been a control expert. As a result, Pelfrey's year-to-year ERA has fluctuated quite a bit over the past few seasons despite the fact that he's pitched very similarly all along.

Since Pelfrey made $5.7 million this year and was due for his final year of arbitration in 2013, the Mets' decision to non-tender him — and make him a free agent in the process — was an easy one.

The Mets will reportedly attempt to bring Pelfrey back on a much less expensive deal, which would be a wise move. Even with a rotation of R.A. Dickey, Johan Santana, Jon Niese, Matt Harvey, and Dillon Gee in place — assuming none of them are traded this winter — it can't hurt to have Pelfrey in the fold at an affordable price. If the Mets are able to make that happen, Chris Young's days in Queens are likely over.

The Mets are reportedly considering giving center fielder Andres Torres the non-tender treatment, too, which wouldn't come as a shock after he had a very disappointing year at the plate. Torres looked like a capable hitter in 2009 and 2010, but over the 2011 and 2012 seasons, he hit just .226/.320/.334.