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3 roads the Mets can take with Tylor Megill and his future

By Tim Boyle |
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Tylor Megill surprised us all in 2021 by leaping from obscurity to becoming an important part of the team’s rotation. Although things leveled out by the end of his 18 starts, Megill remains a promising young pitcher for the New York Mets.

But what’s next for him?

I don’t think anyone expects the Mets to head into the 2022 season with Megill as one of their starting pitchers. I’m not even quite sure that’s a plan for them. The Mets can begin the journey down a couple of paths with Megill. Right now, these are the three roads to take.

The Mets can keep Tylor Megill in Triple-A for emergency starting pitch depth

This is the likeliest of scenarios for the 2022 season. Megill should get some chance to pitch for the big league club. Injuries are inevitable. Already present on the 40-man roster and proven that he can get major league outs, he should be one of the first guys the team turns to the moment a starting pitcher hits the IL.

As a refresher, Megill doesn’t have much professional experience at all. He logged 28 innings in 2018, another 71.2 in 2019, and had a total of 40.1 innings as a minor leaguer in 2021.

Amazingly, his 89.2 innings for the 2021 Mets was the most he has had at any level by a long shot.

Entering his age 26 season, you’re not going to keep Megill around to sit in Syracuse waiting for a phone call. If he pitches well, maybe he can earn a spot over someone else. A more productive way to utilize him, depending on how the rest of the organization looks, could be to make a left-hand turn and use Megill in a different way.

New York Mets v Washington Nationals - Game Two
New York Mets v Washington Nationals - Game Two / G Fiume/GettyImages

The Mets could always make Tylor Megill a relief pitcher again

Checking through his minor league career, Megill has actually spent time working out of the bullpen. Down in the minor leagues, it’s often not much different than starting other than how you prepare and the innings you eat up. Half of his 2019 appearances were as a starter. The other half (11) were coming in as a reliever. The year prior, he made only two starts and eight relief appearances.

It may seem like a step backward but plenty of starting pitcher hopefuls end up being far more successful as a reliever. Megill has a pretty awesome strikeout punch, a quality that even carried over to the big leagues. He managed to fan batters at a rate of 9.9 per nine. It also came with a promising 2.7 walks per nine—a number lower than what he had consistently put up down on the farm.

As an organization, we haven’t seen the club do this too often in recent years. They did, however, acquire Yennsy Diaz and Sean Reid-Foley last winter in a trade only to turn them into full-time relief pitchers. Does the same happen with Megill?

The Mets may have a decision to make about Megill and another player in a similar predicament, David Peterson. It’s hard to imagine the team trying to win with both in the rotation. Something’s got to give. This takes us to one other option.

Washington Nationals v New York Mets
Washington Nationals v New York Mets / Dustin Satloff/GettyImages

Could the Mets trade Tylor Megill?

Megill’s trade value probably isn’t what the biggest diehard fans think it is but it also isn’t as low as some may believe. He’s in a unique position. As an eighth round draft pick, there never weren’t tremendous expectations for him. Megill had to go out and prove himself. Through three professional seasons, I think he has.

Megill can work in two kinds of trades. The Mets could flip him for a similar player at a different position or move him in a package. He’s one of those guys we should look at as a name the Oakland Athletics could always view favorably in any deal for one of their arms. Just one season into his major league career, Megill is cheap and under control.

The Mets shouldn’t be in any rush to move Megill for these same reasons. They have those other two streets to take. Pitching depth, in any format, is important.

You trade Megill for the same reasons you would Jeff McNeil: because it makes you better right now. While vastly different players in completely different positions, I wouldn’t rush to trade Megill. He’s the kind of guy who a year from now could earn his way into an even bigger role—whether it’s in the rotation or bullpen.

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