Dillon Gee named the fifth starter for the Mets

The inevitable has happened: Sources tell ESPN New York that Dillon Gee has won the final spot in the Mets rotation.

Gee, the Mets’ Opening Day starter last year, was originally penciled in as the team’s long-relief pitcher before Zack Wheeler succumbed to Tommy John Surgery.

The empty slot in the rotation allowed the Mets to have a competition between Gee and Rafael Montero, and while both pitchers fared well, Gee came out as the victor.

Dillon Gee had an impressive spring, going 2-0 with a 2.49 ERA in seven appearances. He pitched 21.2 innings, allowing only eight walks while striking out eight batters.

According to Adam Rubin, Dillon Gee will most likely make his first start on April 11 against the Atlanta Braves.

With that said, here’s a look at the expected pitching schedule for the Mets:

April 6 @ Washington: Bartolo Colon
April 8 @ Washington: Jacob deGrom
April 9 @ Washington: Matt Harvey
AprilÂ 10 @ Atlanta: Jon Niese
April 11 @ Atlanta: Dillon Gee
April 12 @ Atlanta: Bartolo Colon
April 13 vs. Phillies: Jacob deGrom
April 14 vs. Phillies: Matt Harvey

Rafael Montero pitched exceptionally well, appearing in four games, tossing 15 innings all while allowing only four earned runs. He finishes his campaign for the last rotation spot with 14 strikeouts and only two walks. He’ll start the season in the bullpen.

Thoughts:

I get why Dillon Gee is starting and while it stinks that Montero isn’t getting the chance to start, it might be in the Mets’ best interest to have Gee increase his trade value. He knows he’s the odd man out and it makes sense for him to be on a team that needs him.

The Mets have enough arms to make up for the loss of Gee and they’re ready to capitalize on the opportunity when a vacancy is present.

My only concern is that Rafael Montero will be stuck in the bullpen and he clearly showed that he’s ready to make the leap as a full-time starter. Let’s hope Terry Collins doesn’t fool around with his arm and has him on a proper schedule to get him ready to start games in the near future.