Mets need to move Seth Lugo back into the starting rotation

It’s time for the New York Mets to move Seth Lugo back into the starting rotation.

Albert Einstein once said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Unfortunately, that is what the New York Mets are doing with their starting rotation.

Day in and day out, pitchers like Zack Wheeler, Steven Matz and Jason Vargas struggle in their starts. Thus far, the Mets have done absolutely nothing about it.

Fortunately for the Mets, help is right in front of them. His name is Seth Lugo.

Lugo, who started 18 games last season, went 7-5 and helped the Mets through their pitching struggles last year. This year, he has only improved. In 15 games this season, he is 1-0 with an ERA of 2.13.

Lugo touts a filthy curveball. It’s so filthy that in 2017, he set a StatCast record for the most revolutions per minute on a pitch. The curveball hit a whopping 3,498 revolutions! 

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He has absorbed multiple innings in relief of the struggling starting pitchers and excelled in virtually every task he has been given. There have been five instances this season where he has pitched at least 2.0 innings and allowed 0 ER.

In New York Mets history, only 15 relievers have made such appearances in the team’s first 36 games, with Roger McDowell (10 in 1986) leading the way.

By the same token, in Lugo’s past six appearances, he has pitched 11.0 innings, thrown 13 strikeouts, and owns an ERA of 0.00. He has been absolutely lockdown as of late.

Some may argue that putting Lugo in the rotation will weaken the bullpen, but remember, Robert Gsellman has been excellent this year as well, and he is more than capable of holding down the fort in the pen.

With Vargas’ ERA through the roof and Wheeler being consistently inconsistent, the Mets need some type of stability behind Syndergaard and deGrom.

Lugo will bring that right away. It could not be a better time to promote Lugo to the rotation and move either Wheeler or Vargas to the bullpen.

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Something has to give. The next logical move is to put Lugo in the spot where the Mets need him most.