New York Mets: Moving Zack Wheeler to the Bullpen Makes Sense

The New York Mets have a surplus of starting pitching heading into 2017. Could that result in one of them moving into the bullpen?

The old saying in baseball is that you can never have too much pitching. For the New York Mets, that couldn’t have been more true in 2016. After a trip to the World Series in 2015, many expected the Mets to be back there last season.

Due to them having one of the best starting rotations in baseball, the Mets are going to be a playoff team for years to come. Young talent like Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey, and Jacob deGrom are some of the best pitchers in baseball when they are healthy.

Unfortunately in 2016, staying healthy was a problem for the Mets. After a slow start to the season, Matt Harvey was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome. A surgery followed for Harvey, and he was shut down for the rest of the season. In addition to Harvey having surgery early in the season, the Mets also had both deGrom and Steven Matz undergoing surgery late in the season.

Even with the pitching staff down to Bartolo Colon and Syndergaard, the Mets were able to make the playoffs. Great pitching from Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo helped keep the Mets playoff hopes alive.

One of the pitchers that they thought was going to come back and save the day was Zack Wheeler. After having Tommy John surgery, Wheeler missed the entire 2015 season. He was expected to make his return sometime in the summer of 2016, however he was never able to.

“The biggest thing for me right now is to stay healthy throughout the whole year,” Wheeler told Jesse Spector of Newsday.com. “Pitch the whole season, whether it be starting, the bullpen, whatever. My main goal right now is to stay healthy. I missed the last two seasons, and that wasn’t very fun. I just want to be up here in New York, stay on the field, and help the team win.”

After failing to come back last season, Wheeler just wants to stay healthy and help the team at this point. With a crowded rotation, Wheeler could be the answer to some of the Mets’ bullpen problems.

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“I’ve started my whole life, and obviously I’d like to do that,” Wheeler said to Spector. “But they’re looking out for me, innings-wise and stuff like that. I’ve been out for two years, so . . . whatever’s best for my health is what’s fine with me and the plan going forward.”

This offseason, the Mets have been rather quiet so far. Aside from signing Yoenis Cespedes, not much else has happened for the Mets. With a lot of outfielders, the Mets are interested in trading either Curtis Granderson or Jay Bruce. The hope is that one of them could bring them back an arm to help strengthen the bullpen.

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Even though Wheeler has been a starter, the move to the bullpen might be great for him. With a strong arm, Wheeler could instantly be a factor in late innings for the Mets. In addition to having a good mid-90s fastball, Wheeler also had a high strikeout rate in 2014.

Plenty of starters have moved to the bullpen and found instant success. If Wheeler can stay healthy, he has the tools to be an excellent reliever.

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