3 bold NY Mets trade deadline predictions with only two weeks to go

3) The Mets don’t add a “starting pitcher” but they do add arms that can start

What the heck does this mean? With a full five starters now healthy, Nolan McLean knocking on the door and Brandon Sproat doing the same recently, the team might not be as in need for a starting pitcher as some believe. There is, of course, the benefit of added depth. The health of Kodai Senga is always in question. How soon will Clay Holmes burn out?

Rather than spend big on a starting pitcher who’ll need to linger on the active roster, the Mets might be wiser to consider pitchers capable of giving them length that can be in the bullpen. The best example of all is probably Michael Soroka whose 5.35 ERA as a starter for the Washington Nationals should have any interested team viewing him as a reliever instead. He pitched to a 2.75 ERA last year in the Chicago White Sox bullpen with 15/K per 9 in nearly 40 innings of work.

Although an upgrade over Frankie Montas would be a delight, it isn’t the most practical way to handle the trade deadline. The Mets have only a limited amount of time to point his season in the right direction and a major trade that bumps him into the bullpen seems a little ambitious based on the way they handled last summer’s trade frenzy.