In the weeks leading up to the trade deadline, the Mets have been working to bolster their bullpen and bench.
The big question remaining before Tuesday’s 6 p.m. signing deadline may be whether the team will strengthen its starting rotation.
Just a week ago, the Mets looked like they had it all in that department, with Christian Scott still thriving and Kodai Senga primed to make his season debut with the club.
But Scott has since been sidelined with a right ulnar collateral ligament sprain, and Senga left the field on Friday with a calf strain and is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season.
With names like Blake Snell, Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty, Garrett Crochet and Chris Bassitt still potentially available when the Mets open their series against the Twins on Monday, president of baseball operations David Stearns certainly has options.
But would the Mets make a deal to acquire a starting pitcher?
“We don’t know how long Scott will be out, but it’s good to have someone there to help out,” Luis Severino said.
Rookie Scott has not yet been ruled out as a possibility for Tommy John surgery and is expected to sit out at least another week before undergoing an evaluation, so the Mets would be wise not to count on the right-hander’s return.
The Mets also have Jose Butt as an internal option to bolster their starting rotation, but the right-hander has been a dominant force out of the bullpen and has been invaluable in that role, at least for now.
Snell, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, did not receive serious consideration from the Mets last offseason because of the contract length he was seeking and the fact that he was offered a qualifying offer (meaning any team that signs him would have to give up a draft pick).
However, Snell agreed to a two-year, $62 million contract with the Giants that includes an opt-out option after this season, so a qualifying offer will no longer be considered.
Snell has a 0.75 ERA in his last four starts after a lackluster first half of the season.
“I think he’s getting back to his old self,” Severino said. “It would be really fun to have someone like that.”
The Mets acquired relief pitcher Ryne Stanek from the Mariners on Friday in a trade for minor league outfielder Rylan Thomas.
The next day, the Mets acquired outfielder Jesse Winker in a trade that sent promising pitcher Tyler Stewart to the Nationals.
Stearns also made a trade before the All-Star break, acquiring relief pitcher Phil Mutton from the Rays in exchange for players to be announced at a later date or cash.
The Mets had planned to use a six-man rotation after Senga’s return, but his injury derailed those plans.
For now, it’s Severino, Sean Manaea, Jose Quintana, David Peterson and Tyler Megill who are shouldering that burden.
Barring a trade for a starting pitcher, the Mets’ best hope may be to wait for the return of relievers Reid Garrett, Dedniel Nunez and Sean Reid-Foley (all due to return in August) and hope that’s enough to move Butt back into the starting rotation.
Butt has been a dominant reliever, and the Mets may be best off keeping him in that role.
But he was used for a three-inning save on Monday, throwing 44 pitches, and manager Carlos Mendoza later acknowledged the right-hander was working on it in case he was needed as a starter.
“That worries me. [decision] “If we can get there,” Mendoza said before the game, “but right now he’s a big part of our relief corps and we’re going to use him that way. We’ll see what happens in five days, 10 days, two weeks.”
With a proven starting pitcher, the Mets could again consider a six-man rotation, which could favor a workhorse like Severino, who has thrown 120²/₃ innings, the most on the Mets.
Severino hasn’t pitched that many innings since his time with the Yankees in 2018.
But the right-hander said he and the organization plan to take a smart approach during a tough summer.
“I think the guys here know that for 145 innings, they’re going to try to keep it under 80 pitches,” Severino said. “They’re going to be smart about it, and if I get tired or feel anything, I’m going to let them know, but right now I’m feeling really good.”
