The New York Mets loaded up on pitching this offseason by bringing back Sean Manaea and signing Frankie Montas, Clay Holmes, and Griffin Canning. The hope is that this group will deliver better results on the mound than last year’s.
Mets legend Doc Gooden believes the Mets need an ace
The deep rotation is spearheaded by Kodai Senga, who is presumed to be the top pitcher in their starting rotation. However, they might be lacking a true, established ace in the rotation, and injuries to Montas and Manaea have already put them in a tough spot to begin the year.
Mets legend pitcher Doc Gooden thinks that the Mets are still missing an ace to complete the pitching staff.
“Obviously there are question marks here, and I still think — and this is not a knock on nobody, just my opinion — I still think we need a No. 1 guy,” Gooden said, via Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News. “I think the guys we have are like [No.] 2 and 3 at best, but to compete, you’ve got to have a number one guy.”
The Mets have a deep rotation with very solid arms, but none of the pitchers have proven to be an ace at a point in their career. Senga has the most potential to be that as he posted a 2.98 ERA in his rookie season and was one of the top pitchers in the National League, but injuries limited him to just one start in the regular season last year.
The Mets will be relying on a lot of unproven arms
The Mets were in the mix for a lot of the top pitching free agents this winter such as Corbin Burnes and Jack Flaherty, but they struck out on both. They have been named as a potential suitor for Dylan Cease if he were to get traded, but nothing has materialized there either.
With the injuries to Manaea and Montas, the Mets are going to be relying heavily on Senga and Holmes to carry the load, which is a risky bet. Along with Senga’s injuries from last season, Holmes is making the transition from reliever to full-time starter, which could come with growing pains along with an injury risk due to the increased workload.
New York has high expectations this season, and while the pitching staff could deliver strong results, they will be banking on a lot of unproven talent this year.