Mets may turn to Robert Gsellman for rotation help in 2020

With the possibility of needing a replacement for Zack Wheeler, the New York Mets could turn to Robert Gsellman for rotation help.

The New York Mets rotation for 2020 is a bit of a mystery right now with the status of Zack Wheeler unclear. The team will first need to learn whether or not he’ll accept his qualifying offer before possibly pursuing a deal when he officially enters free agency.

In the meantime, the Mets are looking at other internal options to potentially replace Wheeler. One of those choices is Robert Gsellman. In case you forgot, Gsellman had a nice run as a starter with the Mets back in 2016. A poor 2017 placed him in the bullpen where he has stayed since.

Gsellman has been a multi-inning reliever for the Mets over the past two seasons. Much like Seth Lugo, there was hope this could give the team a weapon out of the bullpen not all teams have. While Lugo excelled in this role, Gsellman was inconsistent.

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In his first year in the role, Gsellman had a 4.28 ERA in 80 innings of work. Last year, his 2019 ended prematurely after 63.2 innings. The result was 4.66 ERA.

Seeing Gsellman move from the bullpen to the rotation comes with its pros and cons. The main pro I see is he’s only 26. Unlocking his potential as a starter could pay off much more than having him as an average bullpen for the next few seasons. The more positive innings the Mets can get from him, the better.

The biggest con from moving Gsellman out of the bullpen to the rotation is largely dependent on what the team does to replace him. If we learned anything from the 2019 season it’s that this team needs to add relievers from outside the organization.

Gsellman is replaceable in the bullpen just as Wheeler is in the rotation. The good news for the Mets is even if Gsellman fails in the rotation, they have Lugo right there to possibly switch roles with him. However, the team still need to ensure they have enough quality relievers to avoid a repeat of 2019.

The way Brodie Van Wagenen navigates this offseason will say a lot about how the team performs in 2020. They need to prepare for the worst. One of the first steps is to assume they lose Wheeler.

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I’m high on what Gsellman can offer even after a disappointing 2019. Whether the team chooses to move forward with him in the bullpen or as a starter again, the important thing is they have a complete roster with a backup plan in place for every decision.