The Mets have been in the market for another starting pitcher for quite some time, and that necessity only increased once Jacob deGrom landed on the injured list.
With their lack of starters due to other injuries, the Mets have certainly been on the phones with other teams looking for a starter.
"I would say as of today, that’s our top priority. It has been for a while..." Mets acting GM Zack Scott told Jon Heyman on Big Time Baseball. "I always say, I do subscribe to that old adage that you can never have enough pitching, and I do think in the seasons, in my experience, that have fallen apart, that’s been the main reason why they have fallen apart."
The Mets are optimistic that deGrom's forearm tightness is nothing serious, but with the ace out, and the Mets still waiting for Carlos Carrasco and Noah Syndergaard, their rotation has more than a few question marks. Even Marcus Stroman and Taijuan Walker didn't start the second half on a good note.
Entering the season, the Mets had plenty of starting pitching depth. But David Peterson and Joey Lucchesi both suffered injuries, the latter undergoing Tommy John surgery. Jordan Yamamoto also is hurt.
With those injuries, the Mets have had to rely on spot starts from Tylor Megill, Jerad Eickhoff, and Robert Stock; other spot starters in Thomas Szapucki and Corey Oswalt are also hurt. So it's no surprise they have inquired about arms.
The problem for the Mets, though, is finding the right price for a starter, especially one they would have control over beyond this season.
“I’d say right now, I don’t think there are a lot of teams that are that motivated [to trade starters], especially pitchers that have additional years of control," Scott said. "Some of the teams… probably think there’s a good chance they can compete, or regroup in the offseason, and then compete next year. So it doesn’t mean they have to sell at all costs. So I think you’re more likely to see what you traditionally see: guys that are, their contracts are expiring at the end of the year and becoming free agents. Those are the guys that tend to move.
"But right now, with pitching, I feel like it’s always a sellers’ market, so they hold the prices pretty high, and we’ll see if those prices come down or if they hold the bar really high and maybe those guys don’t even get moved, because the industry just decides it’s too high in price to pay. But I expect there to be some movement. I also know that a lot can change in these last days leading into the deadline.”
The trade deadline is July 30 at 4 p.m.