New York Mets: Starting Pitching, Centerfield Are Biggest Concerns

The New York Mets biggest concerns in the short-term and long-term are their starting rotation and centerfield.

The New York Mets have high expectations coming into the 2017 season. There are legitimate World Series hopes for the Mets, who have a loaded rotation and potentially deep lineup. On paper, the Mets look dangerous, but that does not always translate to the field.

The injury bug is already hitting the Mets. Steven Matz and Seth Lugo are both unavailable to start the season. That means the Mets will be relying heavily on Robert Gsellman to carry over his success from 2016 and Zack Wheeler to pitch well after missing the last two seasons.

The health of the starting rotation will make or break the Mets season. It was selected by ESPN’s Jim Bowden as their biggest short-term concern. Sandy Alderson said the same, and we agree with both of them.

The Mets have a potentially dominant starting rotation. They legitimately go eight deep with Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Matz, Wheeler, Lugo, Gsellman, and Rafael Montero. No one else in the major leagues comes close to that kind of depth with MLB ready starting pitchers. The question for the Mets is will they ever play at the same time?

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It is a good thing they have that depth as injuries have derailed their rotation in recent seasons. Matz is constantly injured. Wheeler has missed two seasons because of Tommy John surgery. Harvey and deGrom, in addition to Matz, had season-ending injuries last season.

Here is what Bowden said about the Mets based on conversations with Alderson and his own evaluations.

"Alderson has said to me, “If our staff is healthy, we can contend. More depth than we have ever had. This is the best club we have started a year with since I have been GM.” That’s coming from a GM who is just one year removed from being in the World Series. Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom both looked like Cy Young candidates in spring training and by the end of spring Matt Harvey was showing that he can get back to being the Dark Knight. But Steven Matz and Seth Lugo will open the year on the DL, so Robert Gsellman and Zack Wheeler will both start. Gsellman was the Mets’ most sought-after player in trade offers and Wheeler is throwing up to 97 mph — but will pitch with a 100-120-inning limit. But the Mets’ biggest long-term worry is their need for an impact two-way center fielder."

In addition to the short-term concern, which Bowden and Alderson had the same answer to, Bowden took it a step further with long-term concerns. For the Mets, his was finding a centerfielder.

The starting pitching could have been the answer for both. They have the depth to have a dominant staff for years to come even if they cannot retain all of them. But, in the long run, center field remains a huge problem.

That is the biggest question mark for the Mets going forward. Catcher could have also been an option, but at least they have players to use as patchwork there in Travis d’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki even if both are flawed. In center field, they do not have any long-term players.

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Juan Lagares is the only true center fielder they have but he is best suited to be a platoon player. The corner outfield spots are set for at least four years with Yoenis Cespedes and Michael Conforto. Center field lacks a long-term answer and is something the Mets need to figure out with young position players getting ready for the major leagues at other places around the diamond.

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