Photo by Ed Delany of MMO

The Mets’ rotation was dealt a huge blow Friday as it was announced that Jacob deGrom would miss significant time after a MRI revealed a stress reaction on his scapula that will keep him out for at least a month. His injury shortens a rotation that was expected to dish out three solid starters in a row and was expected to be a strong point going into the start of this season.

Now that the two-time Cy Young award winner will miss some time, the rotation will have a slightly different look, but hopefully one that can hold the fort until his return. The absence of deGrom has the Mets starting rotation as follows:

The absence of deGrom pushes up Max Scherzer to the No. 1 spot. A place that he is familiar with, the Mets will rely heavily on their new free agent signing to lead the charge.

Last season, Scherzer put up another solid season, going 15-4 with a 2.46 ERA and 236 strikeouts with both the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers, which included a 7-0 record and a 1.98 ERA in 11 games for LA. Armed with a four-seam fastball that clocks in at around 94 mph with lots of movement, a slider that hits 85 mph on the gun, and a cutter, curveball and changeup, his arsenal is full of pitches that have kept him in the upper echelon of starting pitchers.

Although faced with possible hamstring concerns, Scherzer claims that the injury is not serious and is only a “tweak” and will pitch on the opening game for the club. This signing looms large for New York as it would look completely different and possibly barren had the team not signed him. Having won a World Series in 2019 and three Cy Young awards, expect Max Scherzer to lead the charge and carry the majority of the load for the rotation in the absence of deGrom.

Next up is another newly acquired pitcher in Chris Bassitt. Acquired from Oakland in exchange for J.T. Ginn and Adam Oller, Bassitt instantly became the No. 3 starter for the Mets. Now with the injury to deGrom, Bassitt slides into the number two spot and if his career trends stay the same, he will have no issue filling that role whole deGrom is out. Last season, he posted a 12-4 record, putting up a 3.15 ERA and 159 strikeouts in 159 innings pitched.

After finishing eighth in Cy Young voting in 2020, Bassitt was trending upwards by posting a 25% strikeout rate and a 6.1% walk rate last season. His 2021 campaign is even more impressive despite sustaining a major injury. In August, he was hit in the face with a line drive and needed surgery to repair multiple fractures on his face. Making a strong recovery, Bassitt returned to the mound for two short starts after spending more than a month out on the injured list.

Having been one of baseball more consistent performers over the seven seasons he’s been in the league and mainly an under the radar type player, Bassitt has used his arsenal of pitches, like his fastball, slider, cutter, curveball and changeup to bolster himself as a viable option and is certainly trending in an upward direction. Slotting into the No. 2 role, he’s the perfect compliment for Scherzer and a solid bridge into the lower half of the rotation.

The next spot in the rotation will certainly belong to Taijuan Walker. He will more than likely see time as the number three starter in deGrom’s absence and his first half numbers last season with the Mets certainly show a pitcher capable of holding his own. Posting a 7-3 record with a 2.66 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 94 innings, Walker looked solid in his role and was even selected to the All-Star team (replacing deGrom).

However, Walker’s performance took a turn for the worse after the break as he was 0-8 with a 7.13 ERA, striking out 51 in 64 innings pitched. He finished the 2021 season with a 7–11 record overall and a 4.47 ERA in 159 innings.

Walker had surgery in January to remove damaged cartilage in his right knee and even though the club is going slow with him, he looked solid in the Mets’ recent 7-3 exhibition loss against the Nationals. Taijuan pitched 3 2/3 innings, throwing 54 pitches and allowing three hits and striking out two.

The team plans to have Walker throw five innings and 75 pitches in his first start of the season. If his solid spring performance carries over onto the regular season and can pitch like he did in the first half of last season, Walker will fill be able to help bolster the rotation while deGrom is absent.

After him, the number four spot will go to Carlos Carrasco. Acquired from Cleveland along with Francisco Lindor, Carrasco was expected to be a big piece for the team last season. Sadly, he tore his right hamstring early which caused him to miss a huge chunk of 2021. Returning from injury, he only made 12 appearances and won only one game with five losses. He posted a 6.04 ERA in 53 innings pitched, while struggling mightily in the first inning, giving up 18 runs in those 12 first innings.

Previously pitching eleven seasons with Cleveland, Carrasco was a steady arm, with his best season coming in 2017, posting a 18-6 record with a 3.29 ERA and 226 strikeouts in 200 innings pitched. After offseason surgery, the Mets hope that he can return to form, in some way or another, as the consistent starter he was with Cleveland. Although his more recent returns on the mound have not been too encouraging, Carrasco says he feels healthy, which is a great sign. If he can harness some of his old ways, it will help give a boost the rotation in this time of need.

Lastly, the last spot is a tossup between David Peterson, Tylor Megill and Trevor Williams. Peterson, the only lefty of the bunch, came onto the scene during the shortened season in 2020, going 6-2 with a 3.44 ERA, tallying 40 strikeouts in 49 innings. His performance has dipped since then, going 2-6 in 2021 with an ERA of 5.54, had a foot injury in July that ended his season prematurely and has an ERA of 8.10 during Grapefruit play this spring.

Williams, who was acquired with Javier Baez from the Cubs during the trade deadline last season, has pitched well during spring training by throwing two innings and has not given up a run. While with the Pirates, Williams was primarily a starter, including a solid 2018 campaign where he went 14-10 with a 3.11 ERA while striking out 126 in 170 innings.

Megill burst onto the scene last season while the rotation was decimated with injuries and made his mark. He appeared in 18 games for the Mets, pitching to a 4-6 record, a 4.52 ERA, and 99 strikeouts over 89 2/3 innings. This spring, Megill has impressed again and has pitched 6 2/3 innings in the Grapefruit League without allowing an earned run so far.

Losing deGrom for any amount of time is tough for the Mets. Nothing can replicate what he can bring to the team but there are viable and strong options to help keep the rotation afloat, whether it’s proven names or players looking to make a mark and impress.

The Mets seem to be in good hands, deGrom will be back and in the words of manager Buck Showalter: “The sky is not falling — it’s just rain.”