Mets ‘open-minded’ to piggyback option in critical stretch of season

CINCINNATI — The six current Mets starters, which includes top prospect Brandon Sproat, who will debut this weekend, will make another start in the next turn through the rotation. 

Beyond these outings from Friday’s starter David Peterson, Saturday’s Jonah Tong, Sunday’s Sproat, likely Monday’s Nolan McLean, Tuesday’s Sean Manaea and Wednesday’s Clay Holmes, the Mets have discussed what their best, late-September and potential October pitching staff looks like. 

It is possible the team gets creative with a group that could re-add Kodai Senga and bring up Tylor Megill, which would mean eight, at least, capable starting pitchers, several of whom have shown the inability to pitch deep into games. 

Could the Mets shift to a staff that employs piggyback starters? 

“I think we’re staying open-minded to all of it,” President of Baseball Operations David Stearns said before the Mets survived a 5-4 win over the Reds at Great American Ball Park on Friday night. “Right now, we’re going turn by turn … really, at this point, it’s series by series and see where we are. 

“Can there be tandems at some point? Sure.” 

Manaea has failed to complete the sixth inning in all 10 of his starts, and continually seems to hit a wall around the fourth or fifth. Yet, he owns a 3.00 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 27 innings of the first three innings of games. 

In his first MLB year as a starter, Holmes has infrequently pitched deep into games and has notched a 5.25 ERA in innings four through six. But like Manaea, he has been far more effective in the first three frames (2.36 ERA). 

Perhaps the two could partner to share games. In the postseason, when starting pitchers are put on a shorter leash, maybe one could be used to follow Tong (who has two enticing pitches but might lack a third that could cost him the more he sees an opposing lineup). Maybe Megill, who is being built up as a starter in his rehab assignment, could be used in a two- or three-inning burst following another starter.

Or maybe Peterson, who was OK (four runs in five innings in which he said his mechanics felt “better”) Friday but not excellent again amid a six-start stretch in which he owns a 7.42 ERA, could be shortened if he does not straighten out. 

“We’ll kind of just see where we go through the rest of September,” Stearns said. 

The biggest inspiration for a piggyback effort would be Manaea, who has often displayed dazzling stuff at the beginnings of games yet often loses it. He is striking out 11.80 hitters per nine innings, which is the best of his career — his 1.80 walks per nine is his best since 2018. 

Yet his ERA is 5.60 due to those mid-game issues.