The MLB trade deadline is just over two weeks away and the lull during the All-Star Break without any action MLB games that matter (sorry midsummer exhibition) will have most of us looking at trade possibilities for our teams. By now, you’ve probably already learned the names and statistics of everyone the New York Mets could possibly add to their roster to fill the bullpen. What about starting pitchers?
It seems like the moment we begin to trust an arm, they take a step backward. This has applied for everyone. Luis Severino recently saw his ERA balloon up to a still respectable 3.78. Jose Quintana’s start on Sunday brought it back to 4.13 thanks to even more home runs allowed. Our cynical nature figures the same will happen for Sean Manaea soon enough.
David Peterson has a 3.09 ERA and yet it doesn’t feel so clean. His 1.42 WHIP is barely better than the 1.44 posted by Tylor Megill. Batters have hit .257 against him. Helped out by some big time double plays at times this year, Peterson doesn’t have much going for him other than superb run prevention.
The Mets starting rotation could use new blood
The hope of Kodai Senga coming to save the day isn’t realistic. It doesn’t help mask the issues for these other starters. There’s nothing wrong with them. The veteran trio of Manaea, Quintana, and Severino all have strengths and weaknesses. None of the three have looked like a true number one starter. Then again, who expected any would?
This shouldn’t negate the good those three plus Peterson and Christian Scott have accomplished. The group of five have more than held their own especially over the last month and a half.
The idea of the Mets trading from this starting pitching group for maybe some bullpen help has passed us by. Jose Butto has found his place in the bullpen and while moving him out and back into the rotation shouldn’t be out of the question, they need him more as a reliever than a starter.
As exciting as it is to see Scott on the mound, he hasn’t been Paul Skenes or anything close to it. A known innings limit on him will have the Mets either moving into a relief role at some point or shutting him down entirely in 2024. This spot could easily get handed over to Senga, but what about Peterson?
David Peterson has had a deceptive season
Peterson is fine as a depth piece and for him to have the best ERA of anyone with 8 or more starts comes as a complete surprise. Take into consideration that three of his 8 starts came against the Washington Nationals. He went 6+ in each of those outings. Only one other outing, a 14-2 Mets win over the Texas Rangers, had Peterson recording more than 15 outs.
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” might apply here as the Mets have won 7 straight games with Peterson on the mound. It hasn’t always been pretty. Two of his last four had him exiting in the middle of the fifth. The other two were games against the Nationals.
The Mets haven’t been afraid to dismiss a player and send him into the DFA vortex nor should they stop even with players they may add at the trade deadline. Their limited roster flexibility does allow them to demote Scott or Peterson to make room for a different starter. We have to figure they’ll regularly use a sixth starter in some capacity, but that could always end up with a guy like Butto as more of a three inning opener than anything else.
Do the Mets need to sell the farm for a starting pitcher? Certainly not. What they could use is another guy in the same class as what they already have. A guy with upside to be better wouldn’t be such a bad addition.
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