Mets ink veteran pitcher Jose Quintana to two-year deal

SAN DIEGO — The Mets promised to remain active in the starting pitching market and they made good on their promise Wednesday morning, agreeing with veteran left-hander Jose Quintana on a two-year, $26 million contract, pending a physical.

This comes two days after the Mets came to terms with veteran ace Justin Verlander. The club may not be done and could also end up signing Japanese pitcher Kodai Senga. General manager Billy Eppler talked earlier in the week about the need for starting pitching depth over a full season and the Mets now have seven starters to use throughout the season, though it’s possible three of the back-end starters end up in the bullpen.

Quintana is a 33-year-old veteran who spent last season with the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals. He went 6-7 with a 2.93 ERA and a 2.99 FIP. Over 11 seasons the Colombian is 89-87 with a 3.75 ERA and a 3.62 FIP.

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Quintana spent much of his career in Chicago with the White Sox and the Cubs and was named an All-Star in 2016 with the White Sox. He’s also pitched for the Los Angeles Angels and San Francisco Giants.

He joins Verlander, Max Scherzer, Carlos Carrasco and a back-end group of Tylor Megill, David Peterson and Joey Lucchesi. However, only Megill, Peterson and Lucchesi are under contract past the 2024 season. The Mets are trying to contend right away but are staying away from long-term contracts with veterans.

The club still has to bring in an outfielder to replace Brandon Nimmo if they can’t re-sign their homegrown leadoff man, and the Mets are also potentially looking to bring in more relief pitching.