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New York Mets Injury News: Josh Edgin To Have Tommy John Surgery

By Kenneth Teape

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New York Mets Injury News: Gaping Hole Left In Bullpen With Latest Tommy John Victim

With Spring Training in full swing, things are starting to become clear in the MLB heading into the regular season. For the New York Mets, shortstop has been the hot topic as the Mets decided against signing a free agent or trading for one in the winter. The Mets now will seemingly have a much more pressing need, as left-handed reliever Josh Edgin is set to undergo Tommy John surgery.

The decision for the 28-year old Edgin to undergo surgery came after he asked for a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews. The surgery will be performed by the Mets team physician David Altchek in Manhattan this week according to general manager Sandy Alderson. Edgin will have a stretched ligament in his elbow replaced along with a bone spur being addressed. This news leaves the Mets with a gaping void in their bullpen.

As currently situated, Edgin was the sole left-handed option coming out of the bullpen for the Mets. It was already a tough decision for the Mets to find a lefty to pair with Edgin before his elbow became a concern in Spring Training, as no one has really set themselves apart and grabbed the job.

The players in the running for the job include Rule Five pick Sean Gilmartin, former Met Scott Rice, Dario Alvarez and Jake Leathersich. None of those names will put much confidence in the Mets or their fan base coming out of the bullpen, as the four have combined for an 11.77 ERA during Grapefruit League play thus far. Alderson has said that getting a lefty in the bullpen is something he is committed to doing, so how will he do it?

A trade at this point in time doesn’t seem to be in the works. Dillon Gee is a player whose name has been tossed around all winter, as he is being bumped from the rotation for Matt Harvey, who is recovered from Tommy John surgery. It would be hard to imagine the Mets moving Gee for a lefty out of the bullpen, as his value currently on the team, even out of the bullpen, far exceeds that.

Not many teams have the luxury of a player such as Gee as injury insurance for a rotation, and is something the Mets will undoubtedly value as they attempt to limit Harvey’s innings and will probably still keep an eye on the innings of reigning NL Rookie of the Year Jacob deGrom and youngster Zack Wheeler. Wheeler was also set to take an MRI, which is always a little nerve racking. Even if they are expecting it to come back, you never know until you receive the results and if Wheeler is to miss any time Gee would step in as a formidable replacement.

According to ESPN, two players that have caught the eyes of scouts as potential trade targets for the Mets are Sam Freeman of the St. Louis Cardinals and Xavier Cedeno of the Washington Nationals. Both could potentially be had for cheap by the Mets as both are long shots to make the Opening Day rosters for their respective teams and are out of options to the minor leagues. The Cardinals and Nationals would be foolish to not gauge the trade market to see what they could receive for each player instead of losing them for nothing.

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While the Mets are put in a hole with Edgin being out, this is the right decision for his future outlook. This is the second consecutive season that Edgin has experienced a drop in velocity during Spring Training, and getting it fixed sooner than later is a smart decision. Getting it done at this time will not jeopardize his potential recovery for the start of next season as much as if he tried to rest and rehab to return early on this season.

“It was the best decision for my future and my family. The Mets stood behind me 100 percent. I’m disappointed, because we have a heck of a team. My mindset is to be ready to go on Opening Day 2016.” -Josh Edgin In Statement

While this undoubtedly hurts the Mets outlook currently, Edgin is making the right decision for himself. Making the decision now also gives the Mets some time to replace him, as there is still three weeks of Spring Training, so they have time to evaluate their own players and scour the market for potential additions outside what they currently have.

Next: What will the Mets' record be in 2015?

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