NY Mets rotation ranked eighth in baseball according to MLB.com

MLB.com believes the New York Mets have the eighth-best rotation in baseball and a reason for it is the loss of Noah Syndergaard.

The New York Mets pride themselves on having a starting rotation worthy of carrying the team. For the last few years, the club has had one of the best in baseball—at least on paper.

Heading into the start of the 2020 season, a new ranking by MLB.com came out where they put together a list of the top ten. The Mets did make the list. However, they settled for a number eight spot.

This isn’t exactly where we were hoping to see the starting five land. Sure, it’s one spot better than the Houston Astros. The only National League East team to make the top ten is the number on rotation belonging to the Washington Nationals.

At number eight, the Mets are still in elite company. Still, something about this feels a little off.

There’s a reason for this. I happened to find another list from March 18, 2020, where the Mets were viewed more positively. Back then, the starting five included one difference. Instead of Michael Wacha in rotation there was Noah Syndergaard.

Swapping Syndergaard for Wacha has dropped the Mets significantly. The list is actually exactly the same with this one not so minor difference in the starting five.

Preseason predictions can be funny, though. How many times has a team favored to win it all missed the playoffs entirely? Or how about when a squad no one saw coming ends up making it to the World Series?

It’s amazing how much of a difference one player. Yes, it’s just a list. I put them together all of the time.

But this is MLB.com we’re talking about. They know their stuff. They don’t put their articles together in a pair of decade-old boxer shorts that no longer fit them—well, maybe they do now with everyone working from home.

It’s hard to argue against an eighth-place finish for the Mets rotation. In fact, the number two slot they previously held seemed a little too high.

Unfortunately, starting the year with Marcus Stroman on the sidelines will drop the Mets a few spots on a list like this. The good news is he should return at some point and rejoin his castmates on what is one of the better rotations in baseball.

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The Mets still have Jacob deGrom at the top of the rotation. I have to believe Stroman will return at least one of the other three will have a better than expected year. Otherwise, the Mets will be relying on their offense more than usual.