The Mets are preparing to begin the season without ace pitcher Jacob deGrom, who will not throw for up to four months after an MRI revealed inflammation in his shoulder.
Mets general manager Billy Eppler confirmed the news to the media, saying “everybody's sharing in the disappointment right now.” He added the nature of the injury can allow for a more optimistic take, as the inflammation is confined to the bone for now.
However, the team will still move forward without deGrom to start the year, but that doesn’t mean they will make a move. Eppler said they will begin the season using their depth to replace deGrom.
“I feel really good about the depth that we have,” Eppler said.
The New York Post’s Joel Sherman reports the Mets are expected to promote one of Tylor Megill, Trevor Williams or David Peterson to replace deGrom for now. Sherman also mentioned trades are still a possibility, despite potential hesitancy of surpassing a $300 million payroll.
Currently, the top four pitchers in the Mets rotation include Max Scherzer, Chris Bassitt, Taijuan Walker and Carlos Carrasco. Scherzer and Bassitt are new to the Mets this year, and those two will be asked to lead the way without deGrom. Carrasco only pitched 53.2 innings for New York in 2021, while Walker, was an All-Star after a strong start to the 2021 season, though he did struggle to end the year.
If the Mets do decide to make a trade, they could go back to a familiar well, as the Athletics have reportedly been shopping Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas after already dealing Bassitt. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported last week other teams expected the A’s to trade Manaea first, then make a decision on Montas, but so far both pitchers remain in Oakland.
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