There is no question that losing Jacob deGrom from the New York Mets rotation is a brutal blow to start a 2022 campaign that carried such high hopes in Queens. With deGrom shelved, the focus now turns to the other Mets starting pitchers to see if they can carry the load in his absence.
How does the New York Mets rotation shape up in the wake of the Jacob deGrom injury news?
This offseason, the New York Mets solidified the front of their rotation with the signing of free agent Max Scherzer and the trade for Chris Bassitt from the Oakland A’s. Both will now move up a place in the rotation while deGrom sees what comes next after an MRI revealed a stress reaction on his right scapula, causing inflammation. He will not throw for up to four weeks and then the Mets will determine next steps with the 33-year-old right-hander.
Behind Scherzer (who is dealing with a hamstring “tweak” in spring training that is thought to not be serious) and Bassitt, the Mets rotation gets a little less certain with Taijuan Walker and Carlos Carrasco settling in at the third and fourth starter positions.
Walker earned an All-Star bid last season after going 7-3 with a 2.66 ERA in his first 17 outings (16 starts) of the season. However, his last 13 starts of the season were a nightmare as he went 0-8 with a 7.13 ERA. Part of the big problem for Walker was the long ball as he surrendered 20 home runs in his final 64.1 innings of the season. Which Walker will the Mets get in 2022? That’s an even more important question now with deGrom missing the start of the season.
Carrasco, meanwhile, suffered a hamstring injury in spring training last season and didn’t make his first start of the season until July 30. He would make just 12 starts in 2021 for the Mets, covering 53.2 innings and posting a 6.04 ERA.
Simply put, there is more pressure on Walker and Carrasco to perform well and stay healthy in deGrom’s absence.
There is also more pressure now on the fifth spot in the rotation, which likely means (according to Joel Sherman of The New York Post) promoting Tylor Megill (who started 18 games for the Mets in 2021), Trevor Williams (10 games, including three starts last season with New York after coming over from the Chicago Cubs in the Javier Báez trade), or David Peterson (15 games, no starts with New York last season) to fill the void.
For now, it seems that that depth is enough for the Mets at the back of the rotation, at least until they know a timeline for deGrom’s return.
Billy Eppler says that Jacob deGrom's injury does not affect the possibility of bringing in players from outside the organization:
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 1, 2022
"I feel really good about the depth that we have." pic.twitter.com/PHjWZN7G7M
Once the Mets know more about deGrom (as well as see how the rotation fares early in the campaign), a move for another starting pitcher could be in order for the Mets. However, for now, New York will rely on its in-house options with the hope that success and consistency can be found in its new-look rotation.