3 reasons to have faith in the Mets rotation, and 3 reasons not to

The starting pitching for the New York Mets poses a different preseason outlook in 2024 than it has in recent years. The Mets don't have a future Hall of Fame pitcher in their current rotation, and there are still some unresolved questions with this part of the roster.

Having said that, the Mets rotation can be one of the reasons the team overachieves this season. But there are drawbacks to the starting pitching as currently constructed.

The Mets have a really good top two in the rotation in Kodai Senga and Jose Quintana.

Kodai Senga and Jose Quintana present a stable top of the rotation. For all of the turnover from the Hall of Famers to the younger pitchers hoping to make a name for themselves entering this spring training, the steady presence of Senga and Quintana gave fans reasons for hope.

Kodai Senga is coming off an excellent rookie season, where he finished seventh in the National League Cy Young balloting and second in the Rookie of the Year balloting thanks to the forkball that made life miserable for the opposition. In 2023, he was, objectively, one of the 15 best starting pitchers in baseball, and unless batters learn how to lay off the forkball, 2024 will be as good for Senga.

Jose Quintana gave the Mets quality in the second half after missing the entire first half due to injury. In each of his first 11 starts, he pitched at least five innings, and only once did he give up more than three runs (he gave up five against the Braves in a start in August). That consistency will be a big boost for a team that had pitching issues last season.

The Mets starting pitching actually pitched well in the last two months of the season.

After the selloff of Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander at the trade deadline, the Mets started looking ahead to 2024 and give others a chance to impress. And overall, the group was excellent. Their 3.73 ERA was the fifth lowest of any rotation in the major leagues following the deadline, and the variety of different starters that pitched well stands out.

Senga and Quintana were great, as usual down the stretch. Joey Lucchesi made four starts, went 3-0 with a 1.48 ERA in 24.1 innings. Jose Butto made five starts, pitching to a 3.29 ERA in 27.1 innings. David Peterson and Tylor Megill each made 10 starts and had ERA's around 4.00.

The ony outlier was Carlos Carrasco, who made five starts, and pitched to an 8.24 ERA in 19.2 innings pitched. But Carrasco is no longer on the team.

The amount of different options the Mets will throughout the season is plentiful.

Senga and Quintana are the only two starters expected to make the rotation that were on this team last year. The amount of roster turnover the Mets front office did this offseason is pretty large. The Mets added Luis Severino, Sean Manaea, Adrian Houser, and Max Kranick this offseason. On top of all the other starters the Mets have, who are coming back, you are looking at nine starting pitchers (all on the 40-man roster) who can help out when needed.

Those not on the 26-man roster will get their innings in Triple-A to keep them fresh and not rusty, and if the Mets need long relief help in doubleheaders as the 27th man, they have plenty of capable hands to pick from in Syracuse.

David Stearns said at the start of the offseason that they hope David Peterson, who is recovering from hip surgery from November, can pitch for the Mets in the second half.

Also, three of the Mets top pitching prospects are likely to start their seasons in Triple-A in Mike Vasil, Dominic Hamel, and Christian Scott. Can any of them make their major league debuts this season?