New York Mets fans react to Kodai Senga having dinner with Masahiro Tanaka: "Imagine Tanaka came back to play for the Mets" "W collab"

The New York Mets bolstered their starting rotation when they signed Kodai Senga to a five-year, $75 million deal. They have one of the scariest starting rotations going into the 2023 season. The Mets will roll out Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Senga, Jose Quintana and Carlos Carrasco.

Senga, who pitched in in Japan's Nippon league, was elite during his time there. But Major League Baseball is a different league, and Japanese players have oftentimes struggled to adjust.

Senga met with former New York Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka over dinner. Tanaka was once in Senga's shoes. He was one of the most sought-after Japanese pitchers and ended up signing a seven-year, $155 million deal with the New York Yankees in 2014. He played through the 2020 season before returning to the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, where he still plays.

New York Mets fans are happy to see Kodai Senga connecting with Masahiro Tanaka. He's one of the very few people that understands what Senga is going through.

The Mets have high hopes for Senga. The 29-year-old has a triple-digit fastball with a "ghost" forkball that disappears. Along with the forkball, Senga possesses a slider, cutter, and curveball. He has a solid pitch mix for the major leagues.

Fans are ready for Senga to dominate the league. While it may take some time to get used to the different ball and more skilled batters, they expect him to be a tough No. 3 starter.

The New York Mets are a National League favorite heading into 2023

The Mets have been one of the biggest spenders during this year's offseason. They signed reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander to a two-year, $86.7 million contract.

Their bullpen got better with the additions of David Robertson and Adam Ottavino. The Mets also re-signed their All-Star closer Edwin Diaz to a five-year, $102 million deal.

The team retained outfielder Brandom Nimmo, signing him to an eight-year, $162 million contract. Nimmo is a solid outfielder with a great ability to work counts and get on base.

While there hasn't been any more news on the Carlos Correa front, rumors have spread that a deal will be reached soon. When news first broke of Correa signing with the Mets, the team jumped to the favorites to win the World Series in 2023.

Whether Correa signs with the team or not, the New York Mets will be a good team next season.

About the author

Jared "Bloomy" Bloom is a journalist covering Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda and a former college baseball pitcher from Illinois, who just graduated with a Master's degree in Sport Psychology.

A writer with over 3 years of experience, Jared is consistently more concerned with quality than quantity, thoroughly checking multiple sources of information, and prides himself in being knowledgeable not just about MLB, but the game of baseball in general. He loves breaking down plays and game-changing moments, as well as looking closer into players' statistics.

Jared is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan, and one of his earliest memories is seeing his great-grandfather, a huge Sox fan, in his rocking chair watching a game. Jared started playing from the age of 5 with his grandfather coaching him early on.

Jared loved Tim Lincecum for his quirky delivery and looked up to him as a role model when playing. His current favorite is Phillies star Bryce Harper, an exciting player who doesn't let injuries hold him back. Jared's favorite sports moment is Mark Buehrle's opening day between-the-legs glove flip to first base in 2010.

When he is not watching or writing about baseball, Jared can be found racing BMX at his local Rockford BMX track or coaching his local youth travel baseball team.

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