The New York Mets are not comfortable with the current situation of their pitching staff.
Steven Matz is battling elbow issues and Seth Lugo has a partial tear in his UCL, forcing both to the shelf for the next few weeks.
The Mets’ once-deep staff once again has durability issues surrounding it, especially with the state of some of the pitchers who are still healthy enough to pitch.
Noah Syndergaard’s next start was moved until Sunday due to a blister on his middle finger while Zack Wheeler will likely be on an innings limit this year after missing the last two seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery.
That leaves Robert Gsellman with Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom, two pitchers who had their 2016 seasons cut short due to injury.
It has alarmed Mets general manager Sandy Alderson to the point where he told the media, via Newsday’s Marc Carig, that he will “sniff around” for added pitching depth.
Given the amount the team has invested in the core of Syndergaard, deGrom, Harvey, Matz and Wheeler, Mets fans shouldn’t expect a big deal to bring in a top-tier name.
This was an organization that once boasted a bevy of pitchers down in the farm system that could have been called upon for this exact situation. But in the past few years, New York has traded away Michael Fulmer, Logan Verrett, Luis Cessa, Gabriel Ynoa, John Gant, Matt Koch and Robert Whalen.
The most notable of those names is Fulmer, who was dealt to the Detroit Tigers as a part of the Yoenis Cespedes deal.
Instead, Alderson will most likely look for cheap, veteran options that can eat innings in case the injury bug sweeps through the rotation further.
He will likely have to go to the market, whether it is through free agency or trade, to find that much-needed depth.
One name is already off the board after former Met Mike Pelfrey, who spent seven years with the team from 2006-2012, was signed by the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday.
Other options include current free agents Doug Fister, Colby Lewis, Tim Lincecum and Ryan Vogelsong, who are all at least 32 years old.
Their availability does indicate the way their game has declined over the years, however the four have combined for 325 wins at the major-league level.
Most notably, Lincecum won two-straight Cy Young Awards with the San Francisco Giants in 2008 and 2009.
According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Mets already approached Lewis to sign him, but he wanted a major-league deal while New York was only willing to send him to the minors.
Given their standing on the market, most could be willing to take a minor league deal, especially from an organization that has been snake bitten by injuries so often over the past few years and might need their services with the big club at any time.
