After another dominant performance by Rafael Montero on Monday, the question as to who will be named the team’s fifth starter between him and Dillon Gee rages on.
Montero strengthened his case with six scoreless innings against a stacked Marlins lineup, allowing just two hits, walking none and striking out six batters. It was vintage Montero, displaying that impeccable command that he was known for in the minors. His ERA this spring has improved to 2.40.
“That’s something we’ll talk about over the next two or three days,” GM Sandy Alderson said. “Dillon has the experience and has been successful. Montero has the upside as a young guy. And he demonstrated today that when he pitches and has location, and uses all of his pitches, he can be outstanding.”
“There’s certainly a presumption that Dillon’s the guy,” Alderson said. “I’m not sure that that has changed. But Montero has done everything he possibly can to change that presumption, so we’ll just have to see.”
However Alderson has also maintained that this is a decision that Terry Collins ultimately makes, and whether you believe that or not, the Mets manager, who already declared Gee as the replacement for Wheeler two weeks ago, said this on Monday:
“Dillon Gee to me is a guy who has been over .500 on a team that hasn’t been over .500, and that’s got to be a huge consideration,” he said. “But Rafael Montero is certainly making a play for it.”
It could be that this situation resolves itself before it becomes too much of a distraction.
The Mets are still looking to trade Gee and hope to do so within the month, an organization source told ESPN New York on Sunday. There are no active discussions with other clubs for now, but that could quickly change.
For now I’d prefer to see Montero in the rotation if only because he best represents the hope for our future and our focus on youth.
