Mets Considering Moving Seth Lugo to Rotation Proves They're Going to Screw up the Pitching Staff
By Parker White
It's abundantly clear that the biggest weakness for the New York Mets in 2019 was their bullpen. Edwin Diaz struggled in the ninth inning and Jeurys Familia wasn't a dependable setup man.
However, right-hander Seth Lugo ended up being their best reliever, posting a 2.70 ERA over 80 innings of work. So, it comes as a big surprise that general manager Brodie Van Wagenen is considering moving him back to a starting role.
Van Wagenen mentions Seth Lugo as a candidate for the starting rotation.
— Tim Britton (@TimBritton) November 4, 2019
Right-handed starter Zack Wheeler is a free agent and could very well end up signing with a new team, leaving a hole in the Mets rotation, making Lugo a candidate to return to his roots.
But removing Lugo from his relief duties would not only leave the Amazins with an incredibly unstable bullpen, but would effectively be putting him back into a role where he struggled.
Zack Wheeler is getting a qualifying offer from the Mets, per Brodie Van Wagenen. If he declines that offer and tests free agency, BVW said Mets will continue to go after him. But if he signs with another team, Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman are rotation candidates.
— Deesha (@DeeshaThosar) November 4, 2019
Across 31 career starts, Lugo has a 4.06 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 138 strikeouts across 168.1 innings of work.
However, Lugo has thrived over the last couple seasons as a multi-inning bullpen option for the Mets. In his career as a reliever he's made 120 appearances and has a sterling 2.52 ERA, with an impressive 10.0 K/9 and a vastly improved 0.95 WHIP.
Lugo locked down the ninth inning towards the end of the season in 2019, and unless Diaz bounces back in a big way Lugo's versatility in the bullpen is an absolute necessity for the Mets.