Surprising Mets injury could impact the trade deadline in a big way
The New York Mets have been playing great baseball for a while now, and at 51-48, enter Tuesday's action in sole possession of the third Wild Card spot in the NL. Vibes are high in Queens, and things were only looking up with the news that Kodai Senga, the team's ace, is going to return for Friday's matchup against the Atlanta Braves.
This team getting Senga back is outstanding news. Pitching has been the weakness, and Senga is an All-Star when healthy.
Not only does his looming return give the Mets a major boost, but it adds yet another starter into the mix. The Mets already have more starting pitching depth than many other teams, and could have looked to dangle one of their starters to fill another need or potentially sell high in a seller's market. Unfortunately, their latest injury could prevent that from happening.
RHP Christian Scott has been placed on the 15-day IL, retroactive to July 22, with a right UCL sprain.
— New York Mets (@Mets) July 23, 2024
LHP Alex Young has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse.
(For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders, and join the discord to get the inside scoop as we near the July 30 MLB trade deadline.)
Unexpected Christian Scott injury could throw wrinkle in MLB trade deadline
Christian Scott, a promising rookie, is now sidelined with a UCL injury that seemingly came out of nowhere. The right-hander's 4.56 ERA in nine starts is certainly higher than the Mets might've liked, but he has mostly pitched well, allowing three runs or fewer in all but two of his starts. He has been a nice fit in their rotation.
The Mets could've brought Senga back and simultaneously dangled one of their back-end starters like Jose Quintana who is set to hit free agency at the end of this season to either acquire a reliever, or add a mid-level prospect. This injury will undoubtedly change their thinking.
Now, the Mets will need Quintana and others to step up, as they still intend on using a six-man rotation when Senga returns. The Mets, a team that was thought of as one that could potentially trade an MLB-ready starter, might now be in the market for one, depending on how serious Scott's injury is.
Teams now not only have one less team to focus on when it comes to acquiring starting pitching, but they might have more competition if the Mets join the fold. That's an unexpected deadline wrinkle that wasn't expected to be in play before Scott's untimely injury.
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