During this past offseason, even with Marcus Stroman accepting the qualifying offer and the team trading for Carlos Carrasco, the New York Mets needed more starting pitching. For a brief moment in time, it looked like that pitcher was going to be Trevor Bauer.

As we found out, Bauer didn’t actually pick the Mets. Instead, he went to the Los Angeles Dodgers. That left the Mets sorting through what was remaining on the market.

Just as Spring Training opened, the Mets signed Taijuan Walker to a two year $17 million deal with a mutual option. So far, this looks like an absolute steal for the Mets.

In six starts, Walker is averaging 5.2 innings per start. In four of his six starts, he’s pitched at least six innings. More than the innings, Walker is pitching exceedingly well.

So far this year, he’s 2-1 with a 2.38 ERA, 1.029 WHIP, 4.0 BB/9 (inflated by one six walk start), and a 9.3 K/9. From an advanced stats perspective, he has a 161 ERA+ and a 2.84 FIP.

In the National League, Walker’s He’s 11th in ERA, sixth in FIP, and 11th in ERA+. Notably, Walker is ahead of Bauer in each of these categories.

What makes this all the more impressive is Bauer is pitching very well this year. In fact , he’s leading the league in innings and strikeouts. Still, Walker has been the better pitcher.

It’s not a fluke. Like Bauer, Walker was a very well regarded prospect. The issue was injuries got in his way, and with the shortened 2020 under his belt, Walker appears poised to build off a strong year for seemingly the first time in his career.

Looking at Baseball Savant, we see Walker has increased his velocity with increased movement. He’s also avoiding barrels while striking out batters at a good clip.

Now, Bauer’s Baseball Savant presents a better outlook. He’s getting more spin on his pitches while getting more swings and misses. Still, he’s not outperforming Walker who has a better ERA, ERA+, and FIP.

Of course things can and probably will change. Even with MLB taking balls Bauer threw to inspect them, it seems like Bauer is primed for another big year. He may not be the Cy Young, but he’s certainly pitching well.

Perhaps, that’s why he’s venting his frustrations. He’s pitching well for the defending World Series champions, and yet, the Dodgers are struggling.

Looking past that, Walker is having a better year thus far, and he has provided a much better return for his salary than Bauer. Certainly, this is something which bears monitoring.

Part of that monitoring is seeing Walker continue pitching with increased velocity. That has helped him not just be a better pitcher, but it’s also a factor in his bring one of the best pitchers in baseball.

Walker is defying expectations, and he’s been better than nearly anyone pitching right now. That includes Bauer, a pitcher making $35 million more than Walker.