Mets give up on stars for depth
The high ceiling has been replaced by what Mets officials perceive as a raised floor.
After two straight seasons in which an elite 1-2 combination topped the starting rotation, the Mets are headed toward spring training with unquestionably less star power in that unit, but possibly more depth.
Jacob deGrom/Max Scherzer and Scherzer/Justin Verlander — the respective rotation heads of the last two seasons — are distant memories. The Mets now have an ace of a lesser pedigree in Kodai Senga and hope they have established a foundation beneath him that runs deep into the Port St. Lucie and Queens soil. It’s a rotation that also includes Luis Severino, Jose Quintana, Sean Manaea and Adrian Houser, with Tylor Megill potentially the frontrunner to become starter No. 6, as needed.
There will be questions about the group. In just over two weeks, the buildup will begin in earnest with the report date for pitchers and catchers to Clover Park. Before then, here is a look at what the winter has wrought for the Mets’ starting pitchers:
Severino: The right-hander has a history of ailments in spring training, so Mets officials examined his offseason protocol and decided he needed to throw more intensely before arriving to camp. Severino has been working out in Tampa — recently under the supervision of new bullpen coach Jose Rosado — and is said to be compliant with the organization’s recommendation that he push harder before spring training. Severino arrived on a one-year contract worth $13 million and will be looking to reset his market before potential free agency next offseason.
Senga: The All-Star righthander skipped working out at Driveline Baseball in Seattle (his facility of choice last winter as he got acclimated to the United States) and has been throwing at home in Japan.
Manaea: The left-hander has been working out again this offseason at Driveline, where last winter he focused on improving his upper-body rotation that led to increased fastball velocity. The Mets’ largest free-agent contract this winter has been the twoyear deal worth $28 million that Manaea received.
Quintana: The Mets are anxious to receive a full season of the left-hander, whose debut with the team didn’t come until after the All-Star break last year following March surgery to repair a rib fracture. Quintana has been conducting a normal offseason routine in Miami and has impressed team officials with his work ethic.
Houser: The right-hander has been throwing bullpen sessions under the vigilance of pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, who lives nearby Houser in the Tulsa, Okla., area. Houser is viewed internally as something of a throwback, in the same mold as Quintana, who doesn’t rely on strikeouts. The Mets see Houser as somebody who will consistently go five to seven innings while allowing three or four runs.
Megill: The largest strides this winter by any Mets pitcher might be from the right-hander, who is working out at Push Performance in Phoenix. Megill has developed a split-fingered fastball, a pitch he dabbled with toward the end of last season that now stands to become an important part of his arsenal. Mets’ analytics deem it an “elite” pitch, but Megill must show it facing batters. Megill is said to have surpassed by plenty all that was expected of him this winter and is viewed as an important piece of the team’s rotation depth.
Additional depth: Joey Lucchesi had knee inflammation early in the offseason, but that subsided and he’s been working out at the Cressey performance center in West Palm Beach, Fla. Jose Butto has focused on his fastball and slider in offseason workouts, and David Peterson, who underwent November surgery for a torn hip labrum, is expected to begin throwing within the next week as he begins a rehab that will likely last at least through May. From the prospect pool, Christian Scott, Mike Vasil and Dominic Hamel will receive looks this spring (those three pitchers will most likely start the Mets’ first three exhibition games) with Tyler Stuart also a possibility to receive innings.