Reese Kaplan -- And So the Injuries Begin...Jacob deGrom AGAIN

For Mets fans it came as no surprise that they received some disheartening (but likely expected) news that one of their prime weapons -- Jacob deGrom -- was getting an MRI to evaluate his reported shoulder tightness.  After pitching to a 1.08 ERA last season but missing half the year with injury, everyone's alarm bells started clanging at maximum volume when this news broke.  

Right away everyone is painting the various nightmare scenarios in which deGrom is unavailable for a major chunk of the season.  The report says he's out for a 4-week stint to allow his shoulder to rest and heal.  With a lack of confidence in Carlos Carrasco and concern over Taijuan Walker's repaired knee, folks are already writing off the demise of the entire 2022 season as a fait accompli.  

While it's entirely possible that deGrom (or Max Scherzer or Pete Alonso or Starling Marte or whomever) could develop a health problem rendering them unable to deliver on a regular basis, let's not allow past history to color the current situation.  The club has had to deal with a wide variety of major injuries, nagging injuries, illnesses and other developments which forced them to juggle the lineup more than was originally intended.  Hopefully the award winning manager Buck Showalter shows a bit more talent in this regard than his various Mets predecessors.

Right away the conversation about starting pitching came to the forefront of fans' rhetoric given the blackness with which injuries are evaluated.  The first name brought up was 2021's surprise emergency starter Tylor Megill who has looked pretty impressive during this late and short preseason.  Even Al Leiter who visited camp made it a point to remark how impressed he was with Megill's composure and execution.  Friday's early copy seemed to echo this belief as well.  

Beyond Megill, however, it gets pretty murky quickly.  David Peterson is recovering from injury.  While it would be nice to have a lefty in the rotation, no one is totally convinced he is the right one given his uneven track record.  

The next name up would likely be Trevor Williams who in 2021 was a solid arm for the club.  His 5.06 ERA for the Cubs was not exactly inspiring, but for the Mets he appeared in a dozen games to the tune of a 3.06 mark.  At age 30 he's not likely to morph into an All Star, but he is a backup plan if the first two can't take the pressure off the top five.  

People are also sounding the alarm about making trades to bring in another starting pitcher.  While the bullpen is likelier a long term problem for the club than the rotation, it's not a terrible idea.  

An extra experienced starter would provide insurance against poor performance or injury woes from other starters, plus it would give the team someone to fill in for deGrom if he's going to be off the hill for more than just 1-2 starts.  The team still has people they can deal though the likelihood of moving them apparently became quite a bit slimmer as the preseason progressed.  Of course, everyone believes deGrom is done and an emergency replacement is immediately needed.

Right now the best thing to do is take a deep breath, remember the season hasn't even started yet and there is the possibility that caution is a smart approach.  Pushing the panic button accomplishes nothing and it's time the club addressed personnel issues with both patience and intelligence.  This too shall pass.