New York Mets need to make a trade to replace lost starting pitching depth

Coming into the 2018 season, the New York Mets were supposed to have a healthy starting rotation and plenty of depth. That is no longer the case.

Where has all the New York Mets’ starting pitching depth gone? With Noah Syndergaard now hitting the disabled list with a strained ligament in his right index finger, the Mets rotation is thinner than ever.

Going into the season, the Mets had Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Steven Matz, and Zack Wheeler in their starting rotation; the “five aces”. They also had Jason Vargas, Seth Lugo, and Robert Gsellman as three MLB-quality starters who could be used as depth. Most teams struggle to have five MLB starters and the New York Mets had eight. Their starting rotation would be set all season.

Well, the calendar has not yet turned to June and the Mets are already scrambling to fill out their rotation. Everyone knows about Harvey being DFA’d and shipped to Cincinnati, Vargas has been a disaster with an ERA north of 10, Wheeler has been inconsistent, and Syndergaard is now on the shelf. Mets fans certainly didn’t expect P.J. Conlon to make two starts this early in the season, if at all, but here we are.

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Lugo and Gsellman have both carved out successful roles in New York’s bullpen but they may have to transition back into the rotation soon. This sounds good but then the Mets bullpen becomes concerningly thin. However, if they stay in the bullpen, the Mets will only have two truly reliable starters in deGrom and Matz.

What likely needs to happen, and what was likely unexpected by most fans heading into the season, is the New York Mets are going to have to trade for a starting pitcher.

The obvious target is “Big Sexy”. Bartolo Colon has pitched extremely well for the Texas Rangers despite turning 45 years old last week and is a fan favorite in New York. Texas is not going anyway this season and is expected to sell at the deadline. Trading Colon’s expiring $1.75 million contract for a young arm like Chris Flexen seems like a win-win.

Tyson Ross of the San Diego Padres, J.A. Happ of the Toronto Blue Jays, and Francisco Liriano of the Detroit Tigers are other second-tier starting pitching options who could be available at the trade deadline.

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Sandy Alderson is likely on his last legs as general manager of the New York Mets. He can’t stand pat at the trade deadline while his starting rotation withers away. The starting pitching depth is gone. What is he going to do to fix it?

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