Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Things are getting crowded with the New York Mets‘ pitching staff, as the team will soon employ a six-man rotation in order to keep young stud Noah Syndergaard in the rotation when Dillon Gee returns from injury. But the Mets have another young pitching prospect who looks ready to make make his major league debut and join the’ rotation in Steven Matz.
In 10 Triple-A outings this season, Matz has an ERA of 1.99 and a WHIP of 1.04, with 68 strikeouts in 63.1 innings. Considering the fact that the Pacific Coast League is a notoriously hitter-friendly league, his home ball park in Las Vegas is even more skewed toward hitters and the fact that these are the first 10 appearances Matz has made in Triple-A after just half a season at double-A, what he has accomplished this season is nothing short of amazing. It also makes it clear that Matz is ready to be promoted to the big leagues at any time the Mets see fit.
Of course, with six starters already in the rotation, it doesn’t seem likely that the Mets are going to find room for Matz in the big leagues anytime soon. With so little time in the upper levels of the minors, Matz can certainly benefit from more experience and seasoning in Triple-A, but at a certain point, keeping him in Triple-A is wasteful when it’s so obvious he’s ready for the next level. The Mets don’t want Matz to become bored at Triple-A and lose his edge, so there’s only so long they can wait before being forced to bring him up.
Other than the rotation suffering multiple injuries, the only way to get Matz to the big leagues — other than going to a seven-man rotation — would be to trade away one of the current starters, most notably Gee or Jon Niese. Of course, the Mets have been more than willing to trade Gee since the end of last season, while Niese’s value on the trade market is greatly diminished due to concerns over the health of his shoulder. It will be difficult for the Mets to trade either pitcher unless they are willing to lower their price considerably, and we’re two months away from teams getting anywhere near desperate enough for pitching to give the Mets something substantial for either guy.
Obviously, there’s no rush in making room for Matz in the big league rotation, but the Mets can’t keep him in Triple-A all season if he continues to dominate the way he has through the first two months. At some point, perhaps sooner rather than later, Matz will force the Mets’ hand, as he’s too good not to be in the big leagues.
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.
