The Mets have signed former Boston Redsox pitcher and 2016 American League Cy Young Winner, Rick Porcello, to a one-year deal, according to sources. New York needed to replace Zach Wheeler who joined Philadelphia on a five-year $118 million contract Monday.

“There was a lot talked about our lack of starting pitching depth over the course of the last couple of weeks. I think that story has changed and we’re probably the deepest starting pitching rotation in baseball. We feel good about that,” General Manger Brodie Van Wagenen said.

Porcello is coming off the worst year of his career finishing 2019 with a 14-12 record with 143 strikeouts, and a league worst 5.52 ERA. The 30-year old had multi-year offers on the table, but chose a one year deal, according to reports. In 11 years with the Tigers and Red Sox, Porcello has a record of 149-118 with an ERA of 4.36.

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Although he had a rough year, one quality attribute that stands out is his health. Porcello has averaged 32 starts per season.

The Mets also signed free agent pitcher Michael Wacha, who spent the last seven years in St. Louis. The two signings give the Mets six starting pitchers, which they might use to boost depth in the bullpen or use as trade bait for another hitter. Noah Syndergaard was in trade talks throughout last season, but Van Wagenen reassured fans that he isn’t going anywhere.

“I think nothing has changed,” Van Wagenen said. “As far as Syndergaard, we fully anticipate him to be at the front of our rotation along with Jake [deGrom] and [Marcus] Stroman and these other two guys we added and [Steven] Matz. I think we’re feeling very good about it, we don’t have any intention of changing course.”

With the news of Yoenis Cespedes‘ contract being amended and his salary dropping well below the $29.5 million he is owed this year, it wouldn’t be a surprise if more moves are made.

“You have to make good baseball deals. We’re in a position now where we can only look to make good baseball deals and not feel like we have to do something. We’re not going to be in a situation where we are just going to dump talent for money unless it allows us to do other things that we want to do. We have some latitude to try to make the best team we can and we’ll do that,” Van Wagenen told the New York Post.

The Boston Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins met for the first time this season on Monday, with the Red Sox beating the AL Central Leaders.

The Sox are now 7-3 in their last 10 games with six wins straight, and will be looking to carry that momentum throughout the rest of the series on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Twins currently boast the best record in baseball, but have lost four of their last 10 games.

Along with the best record, the Twins have the best run differential as well, thanks to their offense and their underestimated pitching. Rick Porcello started on the mound for the Sox Monday night and pitched for seven innings to give the Sox a much-needed win. Porcello allowed just four hits and added eight strikeouts to a strong performance. For Tuesday Night, the World Series closer David Price faces off against Michael Pineda on the hill. The former New York Yankee Pineda has been nursing his arm after missing the entire 2018 season and is slowly returning to full fitness. Pineda has started 13 times this season and has a 5.04 ERA. Pineda’s last start, however, against the Seattle Mariners, gave up only one run in five innings.

“We’re playing good baseball. We’ve got a lot of baseball to play, though,” Porcello said, according to Boston.com.

With their underrated stars, the Twins are on pace to have a 107-win regular season. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Twins are currently on pace to hit 313 home runs in the 2019 season, which would beat the Yankees’ current record of 267 from last season.

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The Twins had a warming tribute to the Red Sox great David Ortiz before Monday’s first pitch, celebrating the career he had and wishing him good health after Ortiz was shot at a nightclub in the Dominican Republic.

The Sox are currently third in the AL East, 5.5 games behind the first-place Yankees and three games behind the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Twins are 23-12 at home this season, and host the Red Sox for the remainder of the series. The Red Sox are still favorites, with Caesars Palace and Bet365 having them at -1.5, with the O/U at 9.5 and the money line at -118 for the Sox. The second game of the series starts at 8:10 p.m. EST on Tuesday night.

The Cleveland Indians will visit the Boston Red Sox on Monday night, and here is what you need to know.

Red Sox vs. Indians Preview

This will be the opener of a four-game series. The Rex Sox (88-37, .704) still have the best record in MLB, and are 9.5 games ahead of the second-place New York Yankees (78-46) in the AL East. Boston lost to the Tampa Bay Rays 2-0 on Sunday but won the first two games in that series. The Indians (71-52, .577) lead the AL Central and are 12 games ahead of the second-place Minnesota Twins (59-64). Cleveland routed the Baltimore Orioles 8-0 on Sunday in the finale of a three-game series.

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Right-hander Corey Kluber (15-6, 2.68 ERA) will likely start for Cleveland against fellow right-hander Rick Porcello (15-5, 4.404 ERA). Kluber boasts 160 strikeouts this season, while Porcello has struck out 150 batters. Monday’s game will start at 7:10 p.m. EST and will air on NESN.

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The Boston Red Sox will visit the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night, and here is what you need to know.

Phillies vs. Red Sox preview

This will be the opener of a two-game series. The Phillies (65-52) are coming off a three-game series against the San Diego Padres, to whom they lost two games. Meanwhile, the Red Sox (85-35) continue to dominate not only their division — by a comfortable 10 games over the second-place New York Yankees (74-44) — but the entire league. Boston has won 14 of its last 17 games, including most recently a four-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles.

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The Phillies are second in the NL East, just one game behind the leading Atlanta Braves (66-51).

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On Tuesday, Rick Porcello (14-5, 4.17 ERA) will likely start for the Red Sox against fellow righty Nick Pivetta (7-9, 4.51 ERA). Porcello boasts 140 strikeouts this season, while Pivetta has struck out 147 batters. The contest will start at 7:05pm EST and will air on NESN and NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Washington Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer and Boston Red Sox right-hander Rick Porcello were named the 2016 National League and American League Cy Young Award winners, respectively, on Wednesday.

Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello Win 2016 Cy Young Awards

Scherzer won in a landslide over Chicago Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks and Jon Lester in voting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA).  He earned first-place votes on 25 out of 30 ballots, along with three second-place votes, one third and one fourth. Lester finished second and Hendricks finished third.

The voting was much closer in the AL, however, as 27-year-old Porcello defeated Detroit Tigers righty Justin Verlander by merely five points, the second closest of any Cy Young Award election since ballots allowed voting for more than one pitcher in 1970. Verlander also finished second in the closest election in 2012, which the Tampa Bay Rays’ David Price won 153-149 in voting.

Porcello received eight first-place votes, 18 second-place votes, two for third and one each for fourth and fifth for a total of 137 points. The Cleveland Indians’ Corey Kluber, who won the Cy Young Award in 2014, finished third with three first-place votes and 98 points in total.

In his second season with the Nationals, Scherzer, 31, set new career highs for innings pitched (228.1) and strikeouts (284) en route to a 20-7 record and 2.96 ERA. He led the National League in wins, strikeouts, WHIP and WAR this season.

Scherzer has now won the Cy Young in both leagues, having won it in 2013 with the Tigers. He is now the sixth pitcher in MLB history to win the award in both leagues.

Porcello, the only one of the three AL finalists without a Cy Young already on his resume, easily had the best season of his career in 2016.

Porcello posted a record of 22-4 with an ERA of 3.15, both career highs, with his win total the best in the majors. He also set a new career high with 189 strikeouts and tied a career high with three complete games in his second season with the Red Sox.

The BBWAA will wrap up its postseason awards on Thursday when it unveils the MVPs for both leagues.

Boston Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts, Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve and Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout are the AL MVP finalists while Cubs third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant, Washington Nationals infielder Daniel Murphy and Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager are the NL finalists.

WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 11: Max Scherzer #31 of the Washington Nationals pitches in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Nationals Park on May 11, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

Rick Porcello held an astounding Baltimore lineup to two runs over nine innings, and Mookie Betts hit his eighth homer in seven games at Camden Yards on Monday night to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 5-2 victory over the Orioles.

Rick Porcello, Mookie Betts Push Red Sox’s AL East Lead To 4 With 5-2 Over Orioles

With the series-opening win, the Red Sox have now increased their lead in the American League East to a season-high four games over the Orioles, who are tied with the Blue Jays for the two AL Wild Cards. The magic number for the Sox 86-64 to clinch the division is now at nine, with 12 games remaining.

“It’s huge,” said Betts. “Anytime you can come into somebody else’s place and win, that’s huge, but obviously, we have three more left and they’re a really good ball-club. We’re pretty good too, so it’s going to be a good series.”

Orioles manager Buck Showalter realized early in the game that his team was in trouble against Porcello, Boston’s right-handed starter who has now positioned himself as a strong Cy Young Award contender.

“Hitters at this level try to box out a pitch that you can’t throw over and you can’t get where you want to get it,” Showalter said. “It cuts down what you’ve got to be ready for. We didn’t get to a point where we could box a pitch out.”

Porcello (21-4, 3.08 ERA)  pitched his third complete game of the season on Monday. He threw 89 pitche and allowed four hits while striking out seven without a walk.

David Ortiz also smacked his 35th homer for Boston as part of a three-run fifth inning.

Mark Trumbo doubled in Baltimore’s first run in the fourth inning, with Adam Jones firing a solo homer off Porcello in the eighth. Orioles rookie starter Dylan Bundy gave up five runs over five innings in the loss.

“Up to this point right now, this is the biggest series of the year for us,” said Porcello. “So you know we’ve got to beat these guys up front and we have three more games left. It’s a good way to start it.”

Ortiz’s 35 homers are the most by a player age 40 or older, surpassing the previous record held by Darrell Evans in 1987. If Ortiz goes deep one more time before the end of the regular season, the 40-year-old Dominican designated hitter will break Dave Kingman’s record in 1986 for most in a final season.

Perhaps the most impressive part of Porcello’s latest strong outing was his efficiency. He threw 10 pitches or fewer in six of his nine innings and didn’t throw more than 14 pitches in any inning. It was the 11th consecutive start Porcello has gone seven innings or more while allowing three earned runs or fewer.

The right-hander’s performance drew praise from Red Sox manager John Farrell. 

“Rick Porcello was outstanding,” said Farrell. “He threw a high number of first-pitch strikes. He was able to induce ground balls. He elevated at appropriate times. He had four pitches working for strikes tonight. He was in complete command for this one.”

Betts smacked a two-run shot to left field to give the Red Sox a 2-0 lead in the third, his eighth homer at Oriole Park this season. The eight homers by Betts in Baltimore are the most by a Red Sox player in a visiting park since Jimmie Foxx hit that many in 1939 in St. Louis against the Browns.

Manny Machado was hit by Porcello’s pitch in the fourth inning, and seemed very angered by this. The Orioles third baseman glared at Porcello before taking his base, with the Boston starter talking back about the unintentional nature of the pitch. Machado went on to score on Trumbo’s double.

“We were just walking to first base, just talking. Talking like human beings. Nothing much was said,” Machado said. “We all know he doesn’t want to hit me there in that situation. I know who we’ve got behind me. I’m not dumb. We’ve got Trumbo, [Chris] Davis, guys who with one swing of the bat can drive in a couple runs. There’s nothing much to it honestly.”

“It’s September baseball,” said Porcello. “Obviously emotions are running high. Nobody wants to get hit by a pitch, that’s why I completely understand. I wouldn’t like it if I was up there and I got hit.

“At the same time, there’s absolutely no reason why I would hit him right there, especially with Mark Trumbo standing on deck. I mean, he’s hitting missiles all over the ballpark off me. So I don’t want to face him in a 2-0 game, especially when I got a perfect game going.”

The two teams will face off again for the second game of their four-game series at Camden Yards on Tuesday night. Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez will start for the Red Sox, seeking his first win since July 16. Righty Kevin Gausman will take the mound for the Orioles. Gausman held Boston scoreless over eight innings in his last start. The 25-year-old has been terrific lately, posting a 2.06 ERA since Aug. 3.

BALTIMORE, MD – SEPTEMBER 19: Starting pitcher Rick Porcello #22 of the Boston Red Sox throws to a Baltimore Orioles batter in the first inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 19, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)