Max Scherzer is set to throw a bullpen session on Tuesday, Mets manager Buck Showalter told Newsday’s Tim Healey and other reporters. Right hamstring tightness kept Scherzer out of a scheduled seven-inning intrasquad game on Saturday, which was supposed to be Scherzer’s last bit of spring work before the beginning of the regular season.
The ace has already tossed 11 Grapefruit League innings, so his arm might already be built up enough should he get through Tuesday’s bullpen without any ill effects. It is also possible that the Mets might opt for some extra caution, and either push Scherzer’s first start back at least a few days, or maybe even sideline him with a backdated IL visit just to be completely sure that the 37-year-old is fully ready.
Scherzer’s health has taken on an greater import for the Mets in the wake of Friday’s news that Jacob deGrom will miss probably at least the first two months of the season after an MRI revealed a stress reaction in his right scapula. The Mets begin play on April 7 with seven straight games (a four-game series against the Nationals and then a three-game series against the Phillies), so there aren’t any off-days to provide breathing room for the pitching staff.
DeGrom and Scherzer had been penciled in for the first two games of the schedule, with Chris Bassitt, Carlos Carrasco, and Taijuan Walker then slated to follow in the rotation. Rather than disrupt this planned routine, if Scherzer can’t pitch on April 7, any of Tyler Megill, David Peterson, or Trevor Williams could start the first two games, or New York could even opt for a bullpen game. Of course, the Mets are also known to be on the lookout for more starting pitching help, so a new face might suddenly emerge to help fill out the rotation picture.
DeGrom met with reporters (including The New York Post’s Mike Puma) today to discuss his injury, and unsurprisingly, his “level of frustration is really high right now” over another lengthy stint on the injured list. A forearm injury ended deGrom’s 2021 season on July 7, cutting short an incredible year that saw deGrom post an 1.08 ERA over 92 innings.
If there is any silver lining, deGrom is confident that his stress reaction won’t be a lingering problem: “Structurally everything looks fine, so once the bone heals then we’ll be ready to go and build up from there and hopefully be healthy for the rest of the year.” As such, deGrom reiterated that he is still planning to exercise the opt-out clause in his contract after the season, and test the open market.
Most pitchers with this recent injury history would be more hesitant over walking away from a guaranteed $30.5MM in 2023, plus maybe another $32.5MM in 2024 via a Mets club option. However, if deGrom is healthy and pitches like his usual self when he returns to the mound, he’ll surely land a more lucrative multi-year commitment. As The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal pointed out, $12MM of deGrom’s 2023 salary would also be deferred, so opting out would allow deGrom to land more up-front money in a new contract.
In other Mets contract news (or lack thereof), Puma reports that there hasn’t been any discussion between the club and Brandon Nimmo’s representatives about a contract extension. Nimmo has stated multiple times that he would be interested in working out a long-term deal as he enters his final season before free agency. In general, most players prefer to not let talks carry on beyond Opening Day, so there might not be a lot of time left for a deal to get done if Nimmo adheres to this rough deadline.
Nimmo has been one of baseball’s more quietly productive players in recent years, hitting .266/.393/.445 with 47 home runs over 1695 career PA. This translates to a very impressive 131 OPS+ and 134 wRC+, but the key statistic might be the relatively small amount of plate appearances, as Nimmo has been beset by multiple injuries. It could be that the Mets have held off on extension talks in order to see if Nimmo can finally put together a lengthy stretch of playing time in 2022, though if he does stay healthy, Nimmo might then be tempted to test the free agent market.
“At least the first two months” big oof for the Mets thinking they can win the division this year
Well it’s not like they can’t. They might.
Agreed they definitely can, but losing Degrom for 2 months and him still having to build back strength to return is a massive blow to their overall win total projections.
I pretty much figured a significant deGrom injury into my projections. I would pick the Braves to take the division if I were a betting man, which I’m not.
The two months theoretically includes the build back — it’s a one month shutdown currently (obv that could change)
Braves lost Acuna and went on to win the WS. DeGrom hurts, but it’s not an end all. Adding Scherzer and Bassitt vs. Stroman walking is a big time upgrade over last year alone. Certainly will contend, and should make the playoffs – even if DeGrom doesn’t make it back.
Your projections? What kind of math are you using? What level of regression analysis are you using in your models.
deGrom is done. He’s way to slight of build to throw as hard as he does year over year. It sucks b/c he’s so much fun to watch of you enjoy watching pitching. It’s like Tim Lincecum. He threw hard until he didn’t and then he was toast.
@padam while I agree with your sentiment, I think you’re doing Stroman a disservice. He was incredible for the Mets and carried them for most of the year. In fact, while Scherzer is clearly the better pitcher, in terms of 2021 results, Stroman isn’t as far away as people tend to think. For all that went wrong for the Mets last year, Stroman was one fo the things that went very right, and the Mets are hoping Bassit can match that production.
There’s only one kind of math. Do I need your ok before I go ahead and make some informed guesses as to how the season is gonna go?
How’s That Freddie Freeman contract Going ???
It’s going just fine. The Braves were able to get the next best first baseman and sign their starting LF with the same salary set aside for Freddie. Then they locked up that next best first baseman for longer and at a lower AAV. At least you tried I guess…
Hahahaha, at the cost of your best prospect!
@mets7300. What is wrong with you? Nobody was saying anything derogatory about anything New York Mets and you decide to post some troll talk that just looks stupid. I mean had the Braves NOT acquired Olson and HADN’T extended the guy than I get it but the acquisition + extension is part of what makes the Braves look really good. The Mets aren’t in a better spot for the Braves loosing Freeman.
He’s a typical Met fan. And I’m a Met fan.
It’s a lot like Yankee fans attacking the Rays lack of attendance……. envy.
Except that Freddie Freeman was the second coming of Chipper Jones the Met killer.
I for one am glad Met pitchers will not have to face Freeman in 19 games this season
deGrom missing time was a given going into the year. That’s why they got Scherzer and Bassitt.
And as great as the Braves were last year, they only won 88 games. They would have finished 2nd, 3rd, or even 4th in any other division in the league. Even as a Mets fan, I pick the Braves to win the division, but let’s not act like they’re a powerhouse. Mets and Phillies will compete.
The Braves are better than 88 wins. They were closer to a 95-win team without all the injuries last year. Sure, every team has injuries but the difference is that the Braves survived FOUR HOLES in their lineup for multiple months and then got reinforcements at the deadline while the Mets finished below .500.
I’m not so sure you can win an injury fight with the met fans based on last year lol
@Grey matter
The Braves literally had four of their lineup spots occupied by Abraham Almonte, Orlando Arcia, Guillermo Heredia and Kevan Smith for multiple weeks at one point. They also started Dylan Lee in a World Series game.
If he doesn’t recover well he might be eating crow…
I’d like to have $60M+ guaranteed for eating crow.
*Tylor Megill
It’s an unusual spelling, but as a second-year player, it should be familiar to everyone by now.
He pronounces it TY LORE too.
We could’ve really used a big-time bat like Eric hosmer, Steve Cohen! We missed out! #MetsNation
E-ric HOS-mer clap clap! clap clap clap!
You heard it here first……………. Eric Hosmer has the clap.
X5
Last week it was four weeks, now it’s ….
That’s including building the rehab stint.
Thor looked amazing today, how do you guys feel?
It’s Spring Training.
Fine? It’s one spring training game. That said, I sincerely hope he goes out and kills it this year. It would be great to see Trout and Ohtani in the playoffs.
And so it begins… lol
No. We’re not giving back Thor! Especially after tonight.
Signed,
ANGELS
The first 6-8 weeks of the MLB season don’t win or or lose championships anymore than what horses do going into the first turn in a race do.
Am glad to have seen some ST games in spite of the fact that I know they mean nothing.
Sick of hearing about the Mets. They won the offseason for teams drawing attention to themselves. By June 1 almost all the stuff that has been written about all teams since the day after the WS will be forgotten and the attention will be on something else.
Horses often lose races in the first turn. Being able to pass the pack, or getting caught three deep on the outside, probably determines half the races. I’ve seen them make the pass, get on the inside, and coast. And I’ve seen them max out trying to pass, and almost back up when they get caught outside.
That first sentence in his reply to you… That dude is so delusional it’s not even funny.
It doesn’t win it but can certainly lose it. A bad start can cause a team to miss the playoffs, sell off players, or get a lower seed in the ayoffs if they make it.
Disagree with both of you, although Joe is right about getting caught behind the pack. Maybe it was a bad analogy in that sense. But in MLB teams are competing against one another in win-losses; not physically running with one another.
As for losing the championship – that’s a myth. A few years ago the Nationals not only came out of the gate poorly, they were stuck somewhere around last place in late June. They had replaced their pitching coach, got some guys back from injuries, and from that point on they were the best team in the NL – I know because I watched most of their games when I realized the fine baseball they were playing. They still could only get the wild card as they were too far behind to win the division, but they went on to the WS and won it. To this day people think they “got hot” for 3-4 weeks – no, they played great for over 3 months.
That was the year they called up Soto in mid-season. I was on here stating numerous times that Soto was a better player than Bryce Harper. Naturally I was accused of hyperbole. But watching the game it was obvious – especially how talented Soto was. But people here don’t watch games other then maybe their team. They look at box scores and spreadsheets. Soto got some attention in he playoffs and WS and a year or two later he became established with the mass market. Most Nationals fans (and ML players/managers/coaches.FO people) always knew.
P.S. Max and deGrom having to rest early in the season may be to the Mets advantage if they can play even .475 ball for 2 months. Those guys will be fresh down the stretch if they’re healthy.
@Samuel
The difference is that the Nationals had been in the postseason several times with those same players. This current Mets team is known for choking in June.
The very old and true saying is “You can not win a pennant in April but you can lose one.”
Gonna be a log season for us Mets fans. But ya gotta believe… and ya still gotta play 162. LFGM
Confident it won’t be a lingering problem? Well, I for one am convinced.
Last year, a dead arm, now a dead hamstring? What next? E.D. is just around the corner, Max.
One would hope degrom will pitch a quality 23-25 starts go back to form and accept an extension
No doubt the deGrom injury is huge, but I still think it’s foolish to discount the Mets. Of course it’s the Brave division to lose and the Phillies and Marlins are looming. But I assumed deGrom or Scherzer would miss significant time, and I still have the Mets headed to the playoffs.
I agree. And as the Braves proved last season – once you get to the playoffs it’s anyone’s to win.
I agree VPH
I enjoy a good Mets joke like everyone else but the team has a lot of talent. The rotation health is a big question, but the offense has potential to be potent, interested to see what type of year Lindor can have. He was much better in the second half last year
I don’t know about that. That’s a pretty ugly rotation if Scherzer misses any time. Fortunately, they have the Nats for the first four.
It sure feels like we’ve seen the last of full seasons out of deGrom. He defines the max effort pitcher and no matter how good of shape he is in, the human arm, elbow, shoulder isn’t built to take that much torque and stress over and over again. This is the 3rd season in a row that something has given out on him and if he can’t learn to pitch with less effort, he will continue to break down. It’s such a shame because he was must watch TV every time he took the mound.
I don’t think he needs to go full blown Frank Tanana, but he has to learn how to pitch with less stress on his arm somehow. Maybe throwing 94-95 instead of 99 – 100 would be a good start? He has the control and movement to be very effective at those speeds.
Dorothy Mantooth is a saint.
Dodgers will fix his health issues next year
I think he’s done. Reminds me of Lincecum and Cliff Lee. Dominant until injuries end his career.
The sad thing is the Met’s management seems to think DeGrom will come back?
Scherzer pitched high leverage innings since joining the Dodgers last year and pitched well into the post season.
Bassitt is the only legitimate starter the Met’s can count on.
The “Cookie” has crumbled in Carrasco and the jury is till out on whether Walker can pitch a full season.
As a long time Mets fan I figure a 3rd or 4rth place finish at best.
Look at the Angels they moved on from Upton and 28 million but the Mets are hanging on to some pipe dream that a 39 year old Cano off the juice is some how going to hit?
It will be ugly but Ive been a long time fan so your basically stuck with it.
Secondly being out in Angel honk land and only a mile from the big A I have been an Angels fan for past 12 years since it does not conflict.
Thor looked great last night and in command of all of his pitches including hid secondary pitches.
Mets have no hope in that divsion; Lindor is just an average player at this point.
No reason not to think that deGrom is coming back at some point. In fact, everything right now says he will be.
Cosmo2
Yeah they said Degrom would be back to start this year fine but no reason to think not right?
What are you even trying to say? That there is absolutely no way deGrom is ever throwing another pitch? That’s ridiculous. I’m just saying he’s likely to come back at some point.
At this point, I will be happy to get 40 starts out of deGrom and Scherzer combined. My hope is that’s enough to help the Mets win about 86 games and make the playoffs. If they are both healthy (a big if) for the playoffs, a WS title is possible.
I think that’s a reasonable possibility , but I wouldn’t be shocked if everything goes wrong and they finish in last place either.
Oh cool, nothing a fanbase appreciates more than hearing that their ace pitcher is injured, but still fully intends to exercise his opt-out at the end of the season.
Its nothing that any of us sane fans weren’t expecting. There’s always that bunch that goes bonkers when it happens as if it’s the end of the world, or at least the end of a season that hasn’t even started yet. Sure, it’s not ideal, but they aren’t the “lolmets” everyone seems to still take them for. Cohen isn’t going to let anything stand in the way of the postseason this year, and it’s evident from all of the moves made this off-season. Money won’t stand in his way, so really; we aren’t that concerned.
Money can only do so much. At this point it’s going to take smart trades to fill any holes. The Mets haven’t proved they could do that yet, so if you’re a Mets fan you’re hoping this current roster is good enough to win. I think it is. Also, it sounds like Dom Smith wants out, so I do think there’s one more big trade relatively soon.
As a long time Mets fan I am concerned! Mets did nothing while the rest of the division bulked up. As soon as Cohen put Sandy back in the mix I knew he wasn’t serious.
“Mets did nothing while the rest of the division bulked up. ” This is a misconception. The Mets had the most active offseason of any team in baseball. So it’s just baffling to see comments like this, and I’ve seen them a lot. Perhaps because the Mets made the bulk of their moves pre-lockout people tend to forget…I’m not really sure. Even post lockout they made huge additions like Bassitt. I honestly can’t think of a team that added more high-level FAs in one offseason ever…like in the entire history of baseball. Outside of a rebuild it’s rare to see a completely different team year to year, and the Mets did just that.
We apologize in advance for the graphic nature of this post.
Imagine the Mets are a toilet at a Taco Bell. Cohen has essentially painted the toilet gold but, in the end, it’s still a toilet at a Taco Bell.
VonPurpleHayes your comments are an exaggeration on what the Mets did.
The lost Familia,Thor, Loup, Castro and yes they picked up 2 starters in Max and Bassitt. The rest of the pickups were average journeyman players; just because you are a FA doesn’t make you a good player.
Max is out already so what is your rotation past Bassitt?
I would not call picking up 2 starters while losing one starter the greatest
FA activity in MLB history!
Maybe you have seen these comments a lot because its the truth!
We will see who is right when the Mets finish in 3rd or 4rth.
The rest of the moves were average bench moves that don’t compare to what the Braves and Phillies did in the division.
Eppler is a moron.
@Canosucks I didn’t say anything about whether the moves were smart of if they would work out, but the fact that the Mets signed more top FAs than anyone isn’t really debatable. It’s a fact. Mets fans can complain about plenty, but they can’t complain about an inactive owner. That’s just ridiculous.
Your ace is on the shelf, your #2 has a barking hamstring, so your Opening Day starter is … an opener. Bullpen game!
One of the many examples why #LOLMets endures.
I’m guessing the opening day starter will be a starter. But nice try.
@Bill M Actually the Mets discussed the possibility of using an opener and a bullpen game for opening day and it actually seems likely. This way they don’t mess up the rotation plans for Scherzer’s next go around. This isn’t LOLMets sarcasm. It’s an actually strategy the Mets are considering. And I think it’ll be fine.
I’d be perfectly fine seeing Scherzer sit out his second start, too …
Yet if Tampa Bay does it, it is brilliant.
If you want to trot out the #LOLMets moniker, at least use it for something worthy of it.
Come October and NYM can line up a healthy DeGrom/Scherzer for a short playoffs series/wildcard…
There is no more one-game Wild Card playoff. It’s a best-of-three series now.
You cannot expect to ever see deGrom at peak level again. Just consider anything you get from him a bonus and you’ll be absolutely thrilled if he pitches at a high level and manages to stay healthy. I’m tired of deGrom being called the best pitcher in the game. His talent of course is, but his inability to pitch a full season of late really devalues him. It sucks. He’s the best in the game, and I want to see him healthy, but it isn’t happening so we can’t call him a top 10 pitcher right now.
Come October DeGom will be out and Max Scherzer will be home watching the playoffs
*ROCHESTER RABBITS
That just gets funnier and funnier every time you post it
I was really looking forward to watching that two-headed monster at the top of their rotation. Thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery to help the Mets win the NL East.
Anyone who was looking forward to watching it was foolish. There was a zero percent chance that they would both stay healthy for the majority of the season. Their careers are over and so is the season in Queens before it begins. Buying a bunch of aging free agents does nothing when you don’t have a legitimate young core…and it was only a matter of time with how hard deGrom throws.
@48-team MLB
Well, the problem we currently have in MLB is that we’re bringing up so-called stars who throw really hard and then “die” hard after a few seasons in the league. We don’t actually have pitchers anymore; just chuckers. I miss the days of Maddux. I guess the modern day versions would be Hendricks & Greinke but they’re disappearing. I think it’s terrible investment for MLB to be focused on guys who can throw 100+ but then destroy their arm after a few seasons.
Soroka was a great example in 2019 but he tore his Achilles twice. Obviously that has nothing to do with his shoulder or elbow.
The Mets and Nationals will now be battling it out for fourth place.
#LOLMets
Call them by their proper name.
#RochesterRabbits
Exactly the right move for him to opt out and go to free agency. He needs to run as far away from the Mets as possible to save his career. This ongoing problem I’m the Mets organization is troubling considering they’ve claimed to “overhauled” their training staff. deGrom should play this year but be smart about the choices made during his outings. Get through the year and jettison away from that clusterF of an organization.
His injury isn’t the organization’s fault. Terrible take.
@LarryJ4 – And how did you come to this conclusion? Do you think the Mets organization forced deGrom to increase his average fastball mph from 95 to 99.2 over the last four years? Or to throw it more often last year than ever before?
In 2018 when he won his first Cy Young, here were his stats:
FB-96mph, sinker- 95.5, slider-91.1, changeup-89.1
2021:
FB – 99.2, sinker – doesn’t throw it any more, slider-91.6, changeup, 91.4
Before he got caught up in the speed game, he was throwing 200 innings a year. Now, I’d be surprised to see him break 150 every again.
Power pitchers get hurt all the time. This has nothing to do with the Mets, and I think deGrom’s career is in jeopardy no matter where he goes. Human beings aren’t meant to throw that hard that consistently. It takes a toll.
Yeah and any GM worth his salt goes after another starter after DeGrom goes down not let Manaea go to the Padres for next to nothing while trading for a lefty with a 4.61 era!
@Cano He signed Scherzer and Bassit. What more do you want? deGrom going down was a possibility all along and I think the Mets were prepared for it as best as one could be.
I find it fascinating to watch the divide between Mets fans who think everything is great and it all will work out OK, and the Mets fans who are convinced the sky has caved and their hearts will soon be ripped out. Makes you realize how similar the Mets and Phillies fans can be.
Pretty much all fans but yeah, seems to be more prevalent on the east coast
@Bill M I think it’s because big markets draw a wider audience and they also come with bigger expectations because of media hype. So very rarely do you see anyone content. It’s usually “the sky is falling” or “we better win the World Series.” With the money Cohen spent, the Mets are World Series or bust at this point. Winning the division will not be enough.
As a Phillies fan, I was in the “sky is falling” catgeory after the Schwarber signing, but then the Phillies signed Castellanos as well and my tune changed. I think the Phillies have massive holes, but I think they’ll be fun to watch. If they get it all together they can be a threat. That’s all I can ask for. I’m content. Playoffs would be nice.