So much for home sweet home.
ESPN reports former New York Mets left-hander Steven Matz agreed a a four-year, $44 million contract with the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday.
But for a while, it looked like Matz, who attended Ward Melville High School on Long Island, was seriously considering a return to Queens.
MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reported Tuesday the “Red Sox, Blue Jays, Tigers, Cubs, Cardinals, Giants, Angels, Mets are among teams in on Steven Matz. Deal could come soon.”
MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reported “The Mets have made a contract offer to the free-agent left-hander, according to a source familiar with the negotiations.”
Talks picked up between Matz and his old club shortly after the Mets hired Billy Eppler as their general manager late last week, to the extent that the source gave a reunion “a good chance” of happening.
The 30-year-old Matz made his MLB debut with the Mets in 2015, going 4-0 in six-regular season starts, helping the club advance to the World Series.
But he bottomed out in Queens in 2020, going 0-5 with a 9.68 ERA in nine appearances (six starts).
The Mets traded Matz to the Toronto Blue Jays before the 2021 season, and the southpaw resurrected his career, winning a personal-best 14 games.
In seven MLB seasons, Matz is 45-48 with a 4.24 ERA.
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Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com.
