NEW YORK -- It’s a weird time to be a Mets starting pitcher.
Entering Spring Training, the Mets’ rotation depth chart read something like this: Freddy Peralta, Nolan McLean, Clay Holmes, David Peterson, Sean Manaea, Kodai Senga, Tobias Myers, Christian Scott and Jonah Tong. Quibble with the order all you like, but those were the nine names to know.
Though all nine have stayed healthy, chaos has nonetheless ensued. Three of those starters have already gone to the bullpen, while multiple others have moved to and from the Minors. The latest bit of deck shuffling occurred Friday, when the Mets selected yet another starting pitcher, Carl Edwards Jr., from Triple-A Syracuse and placed him in their bullpen, optioning Scott back to Syracuse one day after starting him. The Mets also plan to reassign Peterson to the rotation next Wednesday against the Nationals, unless they decide instead to use him as a bulk reliever behind an opener.
Got all that?
In the interim, the Mets will operate with four starting pitchers or swingmen in their bullpen.
“I think it’s worked so far,” president of baseball operations David Stearns said. “I think we’ve run into games or stretches where having that length out of the ‘pen has become really helpful for us in various capacities. I don’t know how long we can keep it going, but it’s worked so far.”
Myers, at least, was always destined for the bullpen so long as the organization’s top six starters were healthy. He has since proven invaluable in a relief role, posting a 2.60 ERA over his first 17 1/3 innings -- so invaluable, in fact, that Stearns said the team has no current plans to move him into the rotation.
The same cannot be said for Peterson, who entered the season as an unquestioned member of the rotation. But after the left-hander allowed 14 earned runs over a three-start stretch from April 2-13, the Mets demoted him to the bullpen, where he has since worked to prove himself. Entering in relief of Myers in Thursday’s 10-8 win over the Twins, Peterson recorded 10 outs, allowing one run. The Mets held him to 45 pitches because he was operating on three days’ rest but could ask him for quite a bit more next Wednesday.
Then there is Manaea, whose velocity lagged enough in Spring Training that team officials opted not to include him in their originally planned six-man rotation. While manager Carlos Mendoza has generally not entrusted him with anything other than the softest possible spots, Manaea has pitched well outside of a five-run hiccup in his last outing. Still, he probably won’t be starting games any time soon.
So where do the Mets go from here? Right now, Peralta, McLean and Holmes are the only surefire starters for the club. Those three have combined for a 2.90 ERA while accounting for every win by a Mets starting pitcher this season. After that is anyone’s guess. Senga will start Saturday against the Rockies on the shortest of leashes, considering he’s sporting an 8.83 ERA.
“I think we’ve seen flashes from Kodai,” Stearns said. “We haven’t seen the consistency. So we’re banking on the flashes and continuing to get into the rhythm of the season. But we need some more consistency. There’s no question we need some more consistency.”
But if not Senga, then whom? If not Scott, then whom? Peterson, for all his bullpen success, was demoted for a reason. Tong struggled in Spring Training and has carried that into the Triple-A season, with a 5.66 ERA through five starts. Myers is no longer stretched out as a starter. Edwards, who struggled at Syracuse, was brought in for short-term bullpen help. And Manaea clearly does not have the organization’s full trust at the moment, though he’s still saved the bullpen on multiple occasions.
“I don’t know if we continue to go this route, if that’s going to be sustainable,” Mendoza said. “That’s the question. But in the meantime, we feel good with where we’re at with those guys.”