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Mets manager Carlos Mendoza on the field walking.
The New York Mets are losers of their last seven games, and have slipped out of first place in the National League East. They are currently playing the Philadelphia Phillies, who just took a one-game lead in the division. The Mets’ starting pitching has taken a bit of a hit over the last month or so. They have a lot of high-quality arms on the Injured List, including Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, and Tylor Megill. This leads the Mets to need an arm before MLB’s trade deadline to help aid this struggling rotation.
New York has seen stable contributions from Clay Holmes, essentially their ace at this point. However, other players, such as youngster Blade Tidwell and veteran Paul Blackburn, may not be the answer. The Mets are sliding right now, and were just swept by the Atlanta Braves. The good news is they haven’t dipped too far in the standings.
Mets Should Inquire About a Twins Starting Pitcher
It’s unclear at the moment what route the Minnesota Twins will take at the trade deadline. They are in fourth place in the AL Central, and are hovering right below the .500 mark at 37-38. If they did decide to be sellers, they have a couple of assets on the pitching side that teams may come calling for.
One of those names could be starting pitcher Chris Paddack. Paddack could replace the starters mentioned, like Tidwell and Blackburn, and be a nice bottom-of-the-rotation piece for the New York Mets. He’s been consistently able to start for Minnesota this season. He has started 15 games this season, thrown just over 80 innings, and has a 4.48 ERA to go along with a 4.36 FIP. His numbers aren’t going to wow you, but he will be able to go out there every fifth day, and if the Twins aren’t contending, it’s a good chance for them to dump him before he hits free agency this offseason.
The Mets have World Series aspirations, and during the marathon that is the regular season, they need to stay afloat and contend as best as possible with their starting rotation. Paddack is a name to keep an eye on as hot stove season heats up and the calendar turns to July.
Mets Rotation Dealing With Numerous Injuries
As laid out previously, the New York Mets’ starting rotation has been belittled by injury. Manaea, who was an absolute gem for New York last season, has yet to pitch this season. Same with Frankie Montas, whom the Mets acquired this offseason. Projected ace Kodai Senga just went on the 15-day IL with a right hamstring injury and will miss at least a month during recovery.
The Mets have the best bullpen in baseball, but they will likely be under a lot more pressure over the next few weeks if the rotation isn’t able to give lengthy productivity. A deal for Paddack would ensure some stability and take some pressure off the rest of the staff. A good return package for the Minnesota Twins in a trade like this would be a couple of mid-tier prospects in the Mets organization.
