New York Mets: The Effect the Delay Has on the Mets Starting Pitching

New York Mets, Jacob deGrom
Mar 11, 2020; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (48) delivers a pitch during a spring training game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Before Coronavirus forced the MLB to put a halt on their season, the New York Mets were flexing their biggest muscle throughout Spring Training. Their starting pitching, headlined by back-to-back Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom, was close to unhittable.

All six starters the Mets could have featured all looked regular-season ready. After the Mets closed their facilities on Tuesday as a COVID-19 measure, it left the players to work out on their own. The season likely will not start until May, which forces the pitchers into unchartered territory. They face a second offseason but still have to keep themselves in shape if the season starts up again.

Starting Pitcher Battles

The biggest battle was between Steven Matz and Michael Wacha. Both hoped to emerge as the fifth starter while the other would be a reliever. Matz had the upper hand when Spring Training ended, but now he has to build up momentum again when the season resumes. It will be interesting to see the different ways the Mets players adjust to a sudden layoff with restrictions on where they can be.

One positive to take away is the extra time Dellin Betances, Michael Conforto, Yoenis Cespedes, and we guess Jed Lowrie have to rehab. All four of their injuries are severe ones to heal. They also were likely to all miss opening day. The extra eight weeks, at least, should give them all ample time to get themselves ready to go when baseball makes its triumphant comeback.