The New York Mets have finally done it — they've removed Frankie Montas from their rotation after eight putrid appearances. The right-hander was signed to fortify the back end of the rotation and potentially be a Game 4 starter for them in October, but now, they'll hope he can simply survive on the roster to begin with.
With Montas out of the rotation, there's every reason to believe that either Brandon Sproat or Nolan McLean, two of the organization's top pitching prospects who have pitched well in Triple-A, will replace Montas in the rotation. If the replacement can pitch well down the stretch, he might earn a postseason start.
With that in mind, here's an idea of what the team's postseason rotation might look like if the Mets can fend off the Reds and get in.
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Projected Mets postseason rotation without Frankie Montas
Mets rotation order | Pitcher |
|---|---|
SP1 | David Peterson |
SP2 | Kodai Senga |
SP3 | Sean Manaea |
SP4 | Nolan McLean |
The Mets have three locks for their postseason rotation assuming health. David Peterson is the only reliable arm the Mets have at the moment, and he should start a potential Game 1. Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea have the most upside of the remaining options and have proven to be reliable starters at certain points in their careers — they should follow Peterson. Where this gets interesting is the fourth spot.
Clay Holmes was putting together an All-Star case in the first two-to-three months of the season, but he has struggled mightily to give any length or productivity. The right-hander has a 4.72 ERA in his last seven starts entering Tuesday's action, and he hasn't completed six innings in a start in over two months. It certainly appears that the former reliever who has already blown past his previous career-high in innings pitched is running on fumes, and he should be nowhere near a postseason rotation in an ideal world.
That leaves Nolan McLean (or Brandon Sproat if the Mets go in that direction) as the choice. McLean has a 2.78 ERA in 16 Triple-A appearances this season, and he's allowed two earned runs or fewer in all but two of those outings. Obviously, Triple-A is not the majors, but McLean certainly feels like the pitcher who has the best chance when it comes to succeeding in the bigs right now, given his longer track record of success than Sproat.
As of now, the Mets certainly have to feel some sort of regret for not adding starting pitching at the deadline. If McLean arrives and shows that he belongs in a potential postseason rotation if the Mets can get there, that changes things in that regard.