Mets: Three pitchers that could start in emergency situations this season

The New York Mets added to their pitching depth this offseason which was much lauded amongst Mets fans as well as observers around baseball after last season’s exposure behind ace Jacob deGrom.

If you’ve followed the Mets to any extent over the last several seasons, the Mets Achilles heel has been a lack of starting pitching depth that has resulted in a merry-go-round of pitchers who weren’t yet Major League-ready or were completely overmatched at the MLB level.

All wrongs have been righted this offseason with the Mets acquiring a plethora of arms to negate the previous stigma of the past few seasons in which the front office seemed ill-prepared to have capable arms of filling in should a need arise. It can be argued that one of the Mets’ greatest strengths this season is the amount of pitching depth that the Mets possess this season.

With the amount of starting pitching depth the Mets acquired this winter, they will have no shortage of options to take the mound in an emergency situation this season.

In case of an emergency this season, the front office will be able to bring up a capable arm in Triple-A that many fans should have confidence in getting the job done. Aside from David Peterson and Joey Lucchesi, who are both projected to potentially make the Opening Day roster, I wanted to evaluate three starting pitchers who should be able to step up in case a need arises on the big league roster this season.

Each of these three pitchers isn’t projected to make the Opening Day roster at this point, which would point to them being one of those capable arms as I had previously mentioned above. Without further ado, let’s dive into our first emergency option.

2) Right-handed pitcher Jerad Eickhoff

The Mets front office had signed former Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Jerad Eickhoff to a Minor League contract back in December which was one of their first notable moves made this offseason to begin building starting pitching depth within the organization. It’s also noteworthy that Eickhoff has not thrown a professional pitch since 2019 after battling injuries with the Phillies which included right biceps tendinitis and a blister on his pitching hand.

Unfortunately, injuries have been a common theme for the 30-year old right-hander since the 2017 season. In 2017 Eickhoff wound up missing the final month of the season with numbness in his fingers, and in 2018 he would be limited to only three appearances, which were all made in September, due to dealing with the lingering numbness which was ultimately diagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome.

It’s not that long ago before injuries began mounting for Eickhoff that many in Philadelphia had pegged him as a potential frontline starting pitcher. During his first three seasons in the league between 2015-2017, Eickhoff produced a combined 3.87 ERA over 65 starts and a pretty good 1.267 WHIP. Eickhoff also struck out close to 22% of the batters he had faced during that three-year stretch.

Eickhoff is exactly the low-risk high-reward starting pitcher that the Mets can afford to take a gamble on this offseason. While Eickhoff has never been known as an overpowering pitcher, which could benefit him in regaining his previous form, it also helps that he won’t be pressured to make starts in Queens unless it’s absolutely necessary. The main goal should be seeing how much is left in Eickhoff’s right arm and if he can return to form with the number of injuries that have piled up over the past few years.

Eickhoff should be considered the second most likely option to join the Mets should he be needed, and if his health cooperates this season.

3) Right-handed pitcher Sean Reid-Foley

Sean-Reid Foley was one of the three pitchers that the Mets had acquired in the Steven Matz trade at the end of January with the Toronto Blue Jays. Interestingly enough, the 25-year old right-hander has experience both as a starter and as a reliever during his time with the Blue Jays, which makes him one of the potential options that the Mets could turn to should they need a starting pitcher to fill in at some point this season.

Once a highly regarded arm in the Blue Jays system, Reid-Foley was a second-round pick in the 2014 MLB Draft out of high school, and he had ranked as high as the number two prospect in the Blue Jays system according to MLB.com back in 2016. There is plenty of potential that still remains with Reid-Foley and he probably contains the highest upside of all of the three arms that I have named to this point.

After his first appearance of the spring, Reid-Foley had mentioned to the media that “his feeling is the Mets want him more as a reliever, but also to cover multiple innings out of the bullpen. Or if something crazy happens, to be ready to start a game.” It seems there isn’t a definitive plan yet on how Reid-Foley will be used by the organization this season as it appears every possibility is on the table, but I would not be surprised to see him starting games in Syracuse this season once camp breaks.

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While Reid-Foley has produced a career 4.50 ERA in 13 starts and a career 3.95 ERA as a reliever in eight appearances, it may be in the Mets’ better interests to see how much they can get out of Reid-Foley as a starter in the minors this season. I believe he could provide to be more valuable to the Mets as a starting pitcher than as a reliever this season, and I would not be surprised in the slightest if he starts a game at the big league level in 2021.