MLB Rumors: Mets to target Jose Berrios, Jon Gray to replace Jacob deGrom?
By Josh Hill
MLB Trade Rumors are flying all over the place, and the New York Mets are in the thick of things with a pair of starting pitchers on their minds.
Despite being in first place, things couldn’t be more stressful for the New York Mets.
Leading the NL East by only a handful of games, New York is going to be without ace Jacob deGrom for an undetermined amount of time after he landed on the IL with a potentially season-ending injury. Forearm tightness usually translates to Tommy John surgery, but the Mets are hoping things won’t come to that.
Losing deGrom would no doubt be a devastating blow to the Mets World Series chances, but it’s not a mortal wound.
With the MLB trade deadline approaching, the Mets are reportedly going to be active in finding starting pitching to stop the bleeding in its rotation.
According to FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray, it would make sense for the Mets to add either Twins starter Jose Berrios or Rockies starter Jon Gray to replace Jacob deGrom in the rotation.
Beyond that, Murray reports the Mets had been doing homework on pitchers even before deGrom landed on the IL:
"The Mets have been active in looking for starting pitchers, even before deGrom’s injury, according to major-league sources. If his injury is serious and requires an extended absence, they could go all-in on Minnesota Twins starter Jose Berrios. Even if deGrom is on the IL for a short time, they could pursue a pitcher such as Colorado Rockies righty Jon Gray, who has a 3.68 in 93 innings this season."
New York has been without Noah Syndergaard so far this season as he slowly works his way back. His rehab has hit a few snags along the way, delaying his return to the rotation but highlighting just how much of a need starting pitching is for the Mets.
MLB Trade Rumors: Mets trading for Jose Berrios is a master plan
Without deGrom and Syndergaard, the Mets are down to a combination of Taijuan Walker and Marcus Stroman as their best pitching duo while trotting out the likes of Tylor Megill and others to fill the gap.
Adding Berrios would be a miracle move that both clamps the bleeding now by adding an ace to the rotation as it is, but further solidifies what could be the best pitching rotation in the majors come October.
If the Mets landed Berrios, and all goes well with rehabs, this could be the Mets postseason pitching rotation:
- Jacob deGrom
- Marcus Stroman
- Carlos Carrasco
- Jose Berrios
- Taijuan Walker
In this scenario, Syndergaard could either be tabbed as a sixth starter, subbed in at the back of the rotation, or come out of the bullpen. Think about that, the Mets starting rotation would be so stacked that Thor would be an ace sitting in waiting out in the bullpen.
That’s a murder’s row of pitchers if they’re all healthy.
Add this sweetener to the mix: If the Mets land Berrios, they’d be picking the pockets of the Yankees as well as potential postseason opponents in St. Louis, Atlanta, and San Francisco.