Reese Kaplan -- Again, Who Stays and Who Goes From the Roster

One problem with writing a few days in advance is when things happen that were unexpected.  Tuesday evening it was announced that both Joey Lucchesi and Mark Vientos were joining the Mets at the expense of Yohan Ramirez (again) and Joey Wendle.  While the Ramirez departure didn’t catch anyone by real surprise, the fact it was Lucchesi coming to the big club was not foreseen.  

As dissatisfied as fans have been on both sides of the game with Wendle, no one truly expected Mark Vientos to get the tap on his shoulder to join Lucchesi in an Uber to Citifield.  The justification here apparently concerns the great number of left handed starting pitchers expected during the long stretch of uninterrupted games which also corresponds with Brett Baty´s long inability to hit southpaws.

The roster is once again in question after the team remains below .500 and new players on the mend looking to return to New York from their stints on the IL.  Coinciding with the potential of as yet pretty much unseen Tylor Megill and David Peterson comes the banished-to-the-bullpen Adrian Houser and the I’m-too-old-for-this-short-rest Jose Quintana, he of the 10.57 ERA when pitching on 4 days´ rest.  Hot on their heels will be temporarily slowed-down Kodai Senga.

Making this starting rotation picture even muddier is the expected return this week of reliever Drew Smith who went on the IL while pitching to a 2.70 ERA over ten games.  Look a little closer, however, and all is not gold.  He did have 11 Ks during that period but had a horrific WHIP of 1.70.  Still, veteran arms being what they are, he is likely pushing someone off the active roster now that his shoulder appears to be ready to go once again.

Behind him you have the case of Brooks Raley who sported a perfect 0.00 ERA over 8 games before breaking down.  Raley had been a hidden gem when he came to the Mets in 2023 during an otherwise forgettable season for the team the little-known Raley appeared in 66 games, finishing with a 2.80 ERA that included 61 strikeouts in 54+ IP and a respectable WHIP of 1.262.  Now at age 36 suffering shoulder woes that took a turn for the worse earlier this week when it was announced he is not close to returning to the mound during his rehab.

With Jake Diekman left as the only left handed relief pitcher on the active roster it may be that heretofore mediocre starting pitcher David Peterson may find himself shifted to a relief role as the rotation is already crowded and the need for pitchers to back up those starters is rearing its head.  Diekman at age 37 has been more good than bad with a 3.65 ERA but he can´t do it alone.

The bigger challenge for a spot on the 26 man roster belongs to Tylor Megill.  He does have a minor league option available, so there is the ability to keep him in Syracuse for another month or two until midyear trades take place.  For now it is not entirely clear who he would push out of the rotation other than the now emergency starter Adrian Houser who is slated to give all starters a full five days of rest during this especially busy part of the schedule without days off.  Even if the preference was to use Megill in Houser´s current role, what then do you do with Houser?

Of course, the eventual return of Kodai Senga makes this roster skirmish even messier.  Obviously he was slated to be the number one starter during offseason planning.  His health has kept that from happening, but he still has that reputation and expectation.  Who should be pushed aside?

Right now Sean Manaea is doing everything right except winning, but that output is a result of the less-than-stellar offense than anything he is doing wrong.  Newcomers to full time duty Jose Butto and Christian Scott have not done anything to suggest they are not yet ready to resume a regular spot in the rotation.  

Newly anointed number one starter Luis Severino is also deserving to be there as well.  It would again appear that Jose Quintana is on the way to pitching himself out of the rotation just as teammate Adrian Houser already has done.  Again, there doesn´t appear to be room at the inn for Tylor Megill unless they choose to cut loose another relief pitcher and shift him into that less-than-well-rehearsed role.  

Other teams have already ventured into the trade market to improve their rosters but thus far during the active 2024 season the Mets have not yet done so.  The expected sell-off at the July trade deadline perhaps should be considered a bit earlier but significant changes to the roster are very much dependent upon the health of people who would like to be a part of the season’s second half.