Justin Verlander. Photo via Ed Delaney, MMO

The New York Mets took on the Miami Marlins Sunday afternoon in the team’s last game of spring training. At Clover Park in Port St. Lucie, Florida, the Mets tied for the second day in a row as each team scored three runs. The Mets end spring training 10-14 with a few ties. Now, the real baseball starts.

The first score of Sunday’s game came in the third inning. Starling Marte lined a two-out double to left field, Brandon Nimmo – who singled earlier in the inning – came all the around to score from first base. The Mets led 1-0 after three innings.

The Marlins responded right away in the next frame. They got five hits and three runs off Justin Verlander. Verlander, for the second time in the game, was also struck by a comebacker. Each time, he brushed it off and remained in the game. Miami led 3-1 headed to the bottom of the fourth inning.

After a Pete Alonso single, he was moved to third base and brought home via a Mark Canha sacrifice fly. New York trailed 3-2 after four innings.

The Mets were able to the tie the game up in the next inning. Starling Marte hit another two-out double and was brought home the very next at-bat via a Francisco Lindor double.

Justin Verlander‘s day ended after five tumultuous innings. It was a bizarre start that featured the 40-year-old getting struck twice by balls hit right at his lower body. He once again struggled with his command as he walked four and only threw a strike 57.8 percent of the time. All in all, he went five innings and allowed three runs thanks to eight hits. His spring training ERA stands at 3.00.

The Mets’ bullpen behind Verlander was fantastic. Four relievers combined for four hitless innings. Stephen Nogosek two strikeouts), Tommy Hunter (two strikeouts), Dennis Santana, and Grant Hartwig all contributed one inning a piece.

As for the Mets’ bats, the game stayed at three runs a piece as the New York offense mustered eight hits. Marte was the only Met with multiple knocks.

Starling Marte. Photo by Ed Delaney, MMO

Player of the Game: Starling Marte

Marte had himself a very nice day and directly factored into two of the Mets’ three runs. He went 3-for-3 with two doubles. One of which scored a run and due to the other he scored a run himself.

Marte ends spring with a terrific slash line of .344/.361/.535 which is good for a .924 OPS. He certainly looks ready to go.

On Deck

As mentioned above, Sunday’s game was the last game of spring training. Next up, the Mets will open the 2023 regular season in Miami against the Marlins at 4:10 PM ET on Thursday. The projected pitching matchup for the season opener is Max Scherzer versus Sandy Alcántara.

The post Mets End Spring Training With A 3-3 Tie Against Miami appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Pete Alonso. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Pete Alonso arrived back from the World Baseball Classic on Thursday and he came back with one thing on his mind: The Mets making it to the postseason.

Alonso represented a Team USA team that lost to Japan in the final of the tournament. So many players came back saying the WBC had the atmosphere of playoff baseball, and Alonso was no different.

“It’s an addicting feeling,” he said in an interview with Andrew DiComo of MLB.com. “To play playoff-type baseball early this year I think is going to be an extremely important experience and learning thing for me. To be able to jump right in during spring and to be able to experience that and be able to participate, it’s really special. I think that performing and then having those at-bats and experience, it’s going to be extremely valuable for October.”

Alonso was back in the lineup for the Mets on Friday for the second time since returning from the WBC, and it was clear that participating in that kind of atmospheric-baseball has him fired up.

Alonso went 2-for-3 against the Rays with a home run, walk, stolen base, and three RBIs. Alonso’s homer, his fourth of spring training, was a two-run blast in the third inning off of Luis Patino and extended his team’s lead.

Pete Alonso’s fourth spring homer gives the Mets a 5-2 lead.

pic.twitter.com/UvgR4ijqgT

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) March 24, 2023

Alonso is now batting .286/.412/.714, with a 1.126 OPS this spring. He has four home runs and seven RBIs. He finished the 2023 WBC 2-for-14 with one run and one RBI, but those lower stats are primarily due to Paul Goldschmidt getting most of the starts over Alonso during the tourney.

Playing competitive baseball this early has sparked the fire in Alonso’s belly, and has also helped him to get locked in for the regular season. That, coupled with the bad taste of losing to the San Diego Padres in the NL Wild Card series last year, has the slugger hungry for more in 2023 with Opening Day now firmly on the horizon.

“The result wasn’t there, but I wanted more,” Alonso said, referring to wanting a World Series win. “I think that’s trial-by-fire. Those high-leverage reps earlier in the year, they gave me a pretty good reminder of what I need to do in order, not just to be physically ready for the season, but how to control emotions in a super tense situation – whether it be a big series in the year or in the playoffs. That’s what it’s all for. I want to be able to draw from those big-game experiences, and then apply them.”

Alonso’s first stop he made upon returning to spring training camp on Thursday was the batting cages to get extra reps in before jumping straight in to a Grapefruit League matchup with the Braves on Thursday. And then Friday he was back in the lineup against Tampa Bay and it was clear he was on mission with his 2-for-3, three RBIs performance.

The Mets now have just two spring training games remaining before they get down to business for real, and it is obvious that Alonso is locked, loaded and ready to go and play his part in what everyone in Queens hopes to be a successful 2023 season.

The post Motivated Pete Alonso Rakes Against Rays appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Nolan Arenado. Photo via USA Today

After an embarrassing loss to Mexico on Sunday, Team USA (2-1) got their offense going early on Monday against Canada. Thanks in part to a nine-run opening inning, USA was able to defeat Canada 12-1 in seven innings to put themselves in a much better position to qualify for the quarterfinals.

While Team USA didn’t have the perfect game that Puerto Rico had earlier in the day against Israel, they were able to make some history of their own:

From @ESPNStatsInfo: Team USA scored 9 runs in the 1st inning, tying the WBC record for runs in an inning.

Before this game, no team in WBC history had scored more than 6 runs in a 1st inning.

— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) March 14, 2023

Team USA loaded the bases with no one out against starter Mitch Bratt to begin the bottom of the first. Then, Nolan Arenado ripped a two-run double to left field to get the scoring started.

Nolan Arenado continues to be clutch for Team USA. 💪 #WorldBaseballClassic

(MLB x @TMobile) pic.twitter.com/CoDJumZJhK

— MLB (@MLB) March 14, 2023

Three batters later, after a Kyle Tucker sacrifice fly, J.T. Realmuto hit a base hit to center to extend the lead to 4-0. That ended Bratt’s night. The left-handed pitching prospect for the Rangers only got one out in the inning, allowed six runs on three hits, and walked three on 25 pitches (nine strikes).

Braves pitching prospect R.J. Freure entered the game for Canada. Cedric Mullins ended up driving in Trea Turner (RBI groundout) with a triple to right for the USA’s sixth run. The scoring finally ended when Mike Trout hit a three-run home run in his second at-bat of the inning.

Big fly for @MikeTrout to cap off a nine-run first for Team USA! #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/RjioUh8EnX

— MLB (@MLB) March 14, 2023

Those were all the runs that Lance Lynn would need. While the right-hander did allow a solo home run to Jared Young to lead off the top of the second, he was able to give the USA bullpen a much-needed breather. The White Sox right-hander went five innings, allowed one run on two hits, and struck out six on 65 pitches (42 strikes).

The USA offense did not stop as they scored three more runs in the second on a Tim Anderson RBI triple, a Realmuto sacrifice fly, and a solo home run by Trea Turner, which gave Team USA the 12-1 advantage.

Miles Mikolas ended up getting the final six outs of the game to secure the victory. In the final two innings, the Cardinals right-hander allowed three hits and struck out two batters on 33 pitches (22 strikes).

With Mark DeRosa’s lineup changes, Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil were not in the lineup on Monday. Alonso ended up pinch-hitting in the bottom of the sixth against Cade Smith (right-handed pitcher in the Guardians system) and struck out swinging. McNeil came into the game in left field in seventh, but never got an at-bat.

Anderson ended up getting the start at second base and Trout ended up getting a break from playing the field as he was the designated hitter. Paul Goldschmidt has played first base in each of the first three games. Every USA player had at least one hit except for Tucker.

Next Game

Team USA will finish up Pool C play on Wednesday night against Colombia (10 p.m ET, FS1). By then, they will know what they need to do to advance since they are the last game that will be played in the pool. Merrill Kelly will start for the USA at Chase Field in his home ballpark.

Colombia’s starter is yet to be announced since they still have to play Tuesday afternoon against Canada (3 p.m, FS2). They took their first loss of the tournament on Monday when they were defeated by Great Britain, 7-5, to give everybody at least one loss in Pool C.

The USA last played against Colombia in the 2017 WBC and ended up winning, 3-2, in 10 innings.

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Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Max Scherzer took the mound for the Mets on Wednesday in an exhibition game against Nicaragua as teams prepare for the World Baseball Classic. While the Nicaragua lineup was not filled with All-Stars like some other lineups will be in the WBC, nearly every hitter in the lineup had played Minor League Baseball in the last three years. Scherzer was dominant in his three-plus innings of work, as he allowed just one hit and one walk while recording strikeouts for all nine outs he recorded on the night.

Scherzer struck out the first three batters he faced on the night before Cheslor Cuthbert came to the plate to lead off the second inning. The former Kansas City Royal (and Mets’ minor leaguer) turned on a fastball and homered for the only hit Scherzer would allow on the night. After another strikeout, back-to-back hitters reached base on errors. Scherzer struck out the next two Nicaraguan hitters to get out of the jam, then he struck out the side again in the third to give him five consecutive strikeouts. The Mets’ right-hander took the mound to start the fourth and face Cuthbert again, but lost him to a walk to put an end to his outing.

Mad Max’s final line: 3+ IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K.

3 more strikeouts for Max Scherzer!

All 9 of his outs in his 3 innings of work have come via the strikeout. pic.twitter.com/Y5NAZcDcy5

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 8, 2023

Aside from Cuthbert, Scherzer faced 11 batters with only two balls put in play resulting in errors on the infield. The Nicaraguan team did make him work for his outs, as they fouled off 12 two-strike pitches, but the future Hall-of-Famer was too much for them to handle.

With exactly three weeks remaining until Opening Day, it has still not been determined if Scherzer or his co-ace Justin Verlander will be on the mound for the season’s first game. While a strong outing against an inferior opponent in Nicaragua may not be the determining factor in Buck Showalter‘s decision, it is an encouraging sign to see that Scherzer is on his game early in spring.

The post Max Scherzer Racks Up Strikeouts Against Nicaragua appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Phil Regan has filed a lawsuit against claiming age discrimination the New York Mets, according to TMZ.

Regan was the interim pitching coach for the Mets in 2019, taking over for the fired Dave Eiland on June 20, 2019. Under Regan, the Mets’ pitching staff blossomed, improving their team ERA to 3.48 after recording a 4.88 ERA in the first half. Jacob deGrom won the Cy Young Award that season, too.

Regan claimed that he was not retained only because he was 82 at the time. He also alleged former general manager Brodie Van Waganen called him “too old” and said the team would hire him back in 2020 “if we don’t find the young pitching coach we are looking for.” The Mets hired Jeremy Hefner that offseason.

Since the Mets chose not to retain him, Regan has not been hired by another MLB team, though he served as a pitching coach in the Domincan Winter League during the following offseason.

Matthew Bilt, Regan’s attorney, spoke with TMZ about Regan and his ongoing situation. “Phil is the first to crack jokes about his age,” Blit said, “however there is nothing funny about a person being told that they are being passed over because their employer wants someone younger. That’s discrimination, plain and simple.”

“Phil debated doing this for many years,” Bilt added. “But the hurt from the conversation that he had with Mr. Van Wagenen continues to haunt him to this day. He can hear the exact words playing in his head over and over. Phil knew this had to be done.”

The 2019 season marked the end of a long career in the Mets organization for Regan. He was first employed by the Mets in 2009 as the St. Lucie Mets’ pitching coach and stayed there until 2015. From 2016-2019, Regan was the Mets’ minor league assistant pitching coach and interim Mets pitching coach. However, in 2021 (under new ownership and front office), the team’s media guide listed Regan as a “senior advisor of pitching development.” As of publishing, though, Regan is not listed on the team’s front office directory.Once Regan took over as pitching coach in 2019, he received high praise from the Mets starters.

In an interview with MMO in 2019, Noah Syndergaard spoke about the impact Regan had on the staff: “Phil does a great job of implementing new school methodologies with old school tendencies. … He’s really good mechanically, but he’s also embracing the analytics part of the game, like the hop measurement, and the spin rate, and all that.”

As of publishing, the Mets have not released a statement regarding Regan’s lawsuit.

The post Ex-Mets Pitching Coach Phil Filed Discrimination Lawsuit Against Team appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Mets outfielder Khalil Lee has been named in a warrant by Syracuse police for “criminal obstruction of breath,” a charge often associated with domestic incidents. Lee has also been named in a lawsuit by his former partner, who accuses him of physical and verbal abuse.

In the lawsuit, the alleged victim states that Lee assaulted her by kicking her, pulling her hair, and choking her during an argument last May when Lee was playing for the Syracuse Mets. An arrest warrant for Lee was signed on August 10, 2022, and the lawsuit alleges that Major League Baseball was notified of the charge. Lee continued to appear for the Syracuse Mets throughout the end of their season on September 28.

According to SNY’s Andy Martino, MLB has an open investigation into the allegations.

Major League Baseball has an open investigation into the allegations of assault against Khalil Lee, who is on the Mets' 40-man roster, I am told.

— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) February 1, 2023

The Mets released the following statement about the allegations against Lee:

“The Mets immediately notified MLB upon becoming aware of the allegations. We will fully comply with MLB’s policy and cannot comment until the completion of the league’s investigative process.”

Lee has appeared in 13 games over two seasons with the Mets, including two games last June. He is currently on the Mets 40-man roster. The Mets acquired Lee from the Royals in a three-team trade in February of 2021.

The post MLB Investigating Assault Allegations Against Khalil Lee appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Photo Credit: Jason Bridge of USA Today

This week, third baseman Scott Rolen was voted in by the BBWAA as the latest member of the Hall of Fame. Rolen is a player Mets fans are very familiar with as he began his career with the Philadelphia Phillies from 1996-2002.

Over the course of his career, Rolen was one of the more underrated Mets killers. In 106 career games against New York, the eight-time Gold Glove winner had a slash line of .313/.413/.555 with 20 home runs and 67 RBIs. The 20 home runs was the fifth most that Rolen hit against any team and the second most in terms of NL East opponents (21 against the Braves). Out of those 20 home runs, 10 of them were hit at Shea Stadium.

In terms of hits, Rolen had 119 (second most against NL East teams – 132 against the Braves). Some other fun facts are that Rolen had as many RBIs at Shea (47 games) than he did in 40 games at Coors Field against Colorado (25), and he had 47 strikeouts at Shea (seventh most in any ballpark).

Rolen is an integral part of Mets history to a degree because he could be an answer at your local trivia event to the question: Who was the batter that hit the ball that Endy Chavez made a miraculous catch against in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS?

During that game, Rolen ended up having the last laugh as he hit a 1-out single in the top of the 9^th against Aaron Heilman. The next batter, Yadier Molina, would hit the go-ahead two-run home run and as they say…the rest is history. The Mets held Rolen somewhat in check during that series besides the single (5-for-21, 3 walks).

Four years earlier, Rolen was traded from the Phillies to the Cardinals at the trade deadline. The Mets would play a part of more history for Rolen in August when he hit his first home run as a Cardinal against Pedro Astacio on Sunday Night Baseball.

When Rolen faced the Mets, he had the most success against Al Leiter in terms of hits. He was 11-for-38 (.290) with four doubles and he drew 11 walks. However, Leiter did a good job of keeping him from hitting the ball out of the ballpark (no home runs). That couldn’t be said for Mike Hampton (3-for-9, 2 home runs) or John Franco (2-for-7, 2 home runs). These numbers are courtesy of UltimateMets.com.

If you want to look at Rolen’s best year against the Mets, that came in 2001 when he played all 19 games and hit .329 with 6 doubles, 3 home run, and 12 RBIs. In an extra-inning win on August 28, 2001, Rolen hit a go-ahead, two-run home run in the top of the 11^th against Donne Wall at Shea Stadium.

With the new era of balanced schedules, the list of “Met killers” can continue to grow and not just be limited to the likes of Chipper Jones, Pat Burrell, Daniel Murphy, etc. Even though Rolen only spent seven seasons in the NL East, the Mets still ended up being an interesting part of his Hall Of Fame career.

The post Scott Rolen’s History Against The Mets appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Good morning, Mets fans!

The family of former Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs is filing a civil lawsuit against the team, alleging that the team was partially responsible for his death. This comes months after the team’s former communications director Eric Kay was sentenced to 22 years in prison for supplying Skaggs with the opioids that killed him in July of 2019. According to the Wall Street Journal, multiple players knew of Kay’s activities and were aware that Skaggs was using the drugs throughout the season.

Latest Mets News

MLB.com ranked the Mets as the second-strongest team in baseball in their first power rankings of 2023. The Mets were ranked only behind the defending champion Astros. The votes were based on the Mets’ strong offseason and the potential signing of Carlos Correa.

Latest MLB News

The Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO have permitted outfielder Jung Hoo Lee to be posted. The 23-year-old has torn up the league ever since his career began in 2017 and had his best season in 2022, hitting .349/.421/.575 with 23 homers, 36 doubles, 10 triples, and 113 RBIs in 627 plate appearances. Lee also drew 66 walks against just 32 strikeouts.

Legendary Texas Longhorns head coach Cliff Gustafson passed away at the age of 91 from congestive heart failure yesterday morning. Gustafson spent 15 years as the head coach at South San Antonio High School before a 28-year run with the Longhorns that included two College World Series titles.

The NHL Winter Classic was held at Fenway Park yesterday, and Kiké Hernandez was on hand to support the Bruins. The Bruins also arrived at the game wearing old-time Red Sox uniforms.

Latest on MMO

Nate Mendelson writes about how Eduardo Escobar could help the Mets improve at pinch-hitting.

On This Date in Mets History

Birthdays: John Sullivan (82), Jim Dwyer (73), Luis Rivera (59), Mark Dewey (58)

The post Morning Briefing: Family of Tyler Skaggs Files Lawsuit Against Angels appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Sixty-two Hall of Fame ballots have been publicly released, kept track by Ryan Thibodaux and the Hall of Fame Ballot Tracker team.

Among those early returns we’ve seen increased love for Todd Helton (+11 votes), Andruw Jones (+11), Jeff Kent (+12), Gary Sheffield (+13), and Billy Wagner (+12).

These returning members are trending toward higher voting percentage than last year but only two, Helton and Rolen, have received more than 75% of the votes necessary to earn the Hall of Fame induction.

Two possible Mets inductees are failing to reach the 75% necessary right now but that could change. In his first year of eligibility, Carlos Beltran has received a vote on 52.2% of publicly known ballots. That’s the highest among all first-year entrants.

Beltran would need to be on 79.6% of remaining ballots to reach the 75% necessary for induction.

Now in his eighth year on the ballot, Wagner has received 68.7% of the votes. It’s a small sample but it’s a major increase on his 2022 results when only 51.0% of voters checked the box next to his name. He needs to be on 76.3% of the remaining ballots to earn the nod.

Still it’s not likely either former Met gets elected this year. Based off the data from 2022 there is a steep dropoff in voting percentage on announcement day.

#MLB Two pics, derived from @NotMrTibbs #HOF data

First, vote pct by date, 2022. Note that dropoff on announcement day: pic.twitter.com/DphFPhjC19

— Scott Lindholm 📊 (@ScottLindholm) December 28, 2022

It’s possible there is another year where no player reaches the Hall of Fame when there are clearly deserving candidates.

#MLB 14 ballots received at the @NotMrTibbs #HOF Tracker today–may be a record, if not, it's dern close.

Latest guess, dig on the plus/minus: pic.twitter.com/4pqkErdcwS

— Scott Lindholm 📊 (@ScottLindholm) December 28, 2022

A number of candidates have yet to receive a vote. Players need 5% of the vote to appear on next year’s ballot. Among them are R.A. Dickey, Torii Hunter, and Matt Cain. Ten more players haven’t received votes, all of them except Hunter are on their first year on the ballot.

The only other first-year player than Beltran to receive votes is former Met Francisco Rodriguez, who has earned six.

Hopefully, the voters do right and induct someone into the Hall this year after making it a single-man ceremony for David Ortiz last year. There have been 15 ballots using all 10 votes and only one blank ballot. Let’s see if that trend continues as well when voting concludes.

To view the tracker. Click here.

The post Beltran, Wagner Trending Against 2023 Hall of Fame Induction appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Recent reports have indicated that the New York Mets are open to trading Carlos Carrasco. This certainly would pose a new question mark surrounding the Mets’ rotation. However, if the team are really all-in on the 2023 season, then they should absolutely not trade the veteran starter.

It has been a wild off-season for the Mets. During a winter that has seen owner Steve Cohen really flex his financial might, the front office have worked hard to rebuild the rotation following the departures of Jacob deGrom, Chris Bassitt and Taijuan Walker. Replacing them will be three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander, the experienced José Quintana, and Japanese sensation Kodai Senga.

There is an argument to be made that the Mets will have one of the best starting rotations in all of baseball in 2023. Verlander is the perfect replacement for deGrom and he gives this team the best chance to win right now, Max Scherzer is an elite number one or number two starter, Quintana is a nice middle-of-the-order pitcher, and Senga’s upside is tantalizing. In addition, Carrasco’s potential role in the rotation shouldn’t be understated either.

Carrasco is coming off a decent 2022 campaign in which he went 15-7 with a 3.97 ERA, a 1.329 WHIP, 152 strikeouts and just 41 walks in 152 innings pitched. Yes, some of his numbers against teams over .500 were not great, but he was largely consistent and was able to stay available when the likes of Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer were not. He showed tremendous character in bouncing back from a rough first year in Queens and those intangibles count for a lot inside the clubhouse.

With an average annual salary of $14 million in 2023 (though really $11 million when his $3-million buy out is considered), Carrasco represents very good value and you would struggle to find an experienced and accomplished pitcher for that amount on the open market. A total of $11 million for a fourth or fifth starter is not a large figure at all.

Plus, on the same note, given his team-friendly deal, it isn’t like Cohen and his never-ending wealth needs to trade Carrasco in order to shed some salary and put a stop to what has been a wild spending spree this off-season. After all, Cohen has made it clear he will spend and do whatever it takes to help this team win. Therefore, trading Carrasco would be purely a baseball decision.

That wouldn’t make a lot of sense from just a pure baseball perspective for a number of reasons. As already mentioned, Carrasco was very good in 2022 and he eat a lot of innings too. Granted, the 152 innings racked up last year was the first time since the 2018 season that the right-handed pitcher had surpassed the 100-inning mark. However, Carrasco projects to be the number four or number-five starter and he should be highly effective in either role if he can remain healthy. He started more games than Verlander and Scherzer in 2022, and he’s just a trustworthy arm that would act as a rare luxury at the back-end of the rotation.

There’s also the wild card factor at play with Senga. The Japanese star pitched just once a week back in the NPB and no one knows how quick it will take him to settle in a new country and translate his talents from back home over to the majors. If it proves to be a rough transition in the beginning, then having Carrasco would act as somewhat of a safety net in that the veteran could slot into the number-three spot in the rotation and take some of the pressure off of Senga until he finds his feet. He can also spell Verlander or Scherzer if they need extra rest. That’s the kind of options at manager Buck Showalter‘s disposal with Carrasco on the roster.

Mandatory Credit: Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports

Then there’s the depth issue. Did the Mets not learn anything from last year? With deGrom missing for a large part of the year, Scherzer missing time, and the fact that 11 pitchers made one or more starts in 2022, the old adage rung true that you can never, ever have enough pitching. Trading away pitching should always be questioned and then questioned again, especially when the potential trade involves a player of Carrasco’s experience and importance.

It isn’t like there’s a boatload of depth after the starting five. Tylor Megill has displayed his upside in flashes but he went to the injured list twice in 2022 with biceps and then shoulder injuries. David Peterson showed flashes last year as well, but struggled mightily with control issues at times, and Joey Lucchesi didn’t pitch in the majors in 2022 after Tommy John surgery. To compound matters further, the pitching depth after that trio is razor, razor thin.

Bottom-line, outside of Peterson, you cannot rely on any other current Mets to lock down the fifth spot in the rotation. The Mets had to turn to two starters who were not ready in Jose Butto and Thomas Szapucki in 2022, and the results were not pretty. If that happens even a few times next year, that could have huge implications in the race for the National League East.

As a result, it seems somewhat counter-productive to trade away a proven starter you know you can trust just to make room for two starters who have yet to prove that they can be trusted fully as starters in the major leagues. When you are all in to win as much as the Mets are in 2023, you need proven commodities at every single position and Carrasco is just that as a reliable and solid back-of-the-rotation starter.

The post The Argument Against The Mets Trading Away Carlos Carrasco appeared first on Metsmerized Online.