It’s always nice when you can avoid making a tough decision, which is exactly what the New York Mets did with the announcement that they will be implementing a six-man starting rotation. With Noah Syndergaard impressing in his first three big league starts and Dillon Gee ready to come off the DL, the Mets avoided having to choose one or the other by going to a six-man rotation. Of course, keeping both in their rotation for the time being is the most reasonable course of action for the Mets to take at this time.
Syndergaard’s performance over his first three makes it apparent that he is more than ready for the big leagues, and can be an asset in the Mets’ rotation moving forward. Between that and Gee’s level of consistency, neither pitcher deserves to be excluded from the rotation, and it’s not like any of New York’s other starters are candidates to be taken out of the rotation right now. This gives the Mets no other choice but to go with six starters in their rotation.
More to the point, using a six-man rotation will give added rest to the other members of the Mets’ rotation. Logistically speaking, the Mets need to be cognizant of the innings being accumulated this season by the likes of Syndergaard, Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom, and going with a six-man rotation over an extended period of time will help to limit their innings by taking away a start or two. Having six starters will also make it easy for the Mets to skip one of their starters if one starts to tire out or suffers a minor injury, which can be a luxury, as well as another way to limit the innings count of some of their starters.
Obviously, there are some concerns with a six-man rotation, as it can throw pitchers off their rhythm to have an extra day of rest. But with the Mets having such a wealth of starting pitchers, they knew heading into the season that going to a six-man rotation was going to be a possibility. If it doesn’t seem to be working after a couple turns through, they don’t have to stick with it, but at this point in time, a six-man rotation is the most reasonable choice the Mets can make.
Bryan Zarpentine is a New York Mets writer at www.RantSports.com. Like him on Facebook, follow him on twitter @BZarp and add him on Google.