Colorado Rockies: The New York Mets have another reason to be in contact with the Rockies

The New York Mets now find themselves in more of a quandary than they were 48 hours ago. The Mets placed their ace (and, by far, the best pitcher in baseball in 2021) Jacob deGrom on the injured list with forearm tightness.

It will be the third time this season that he will miss more than 10 days (this is his second IL stint but he missed 10 days and 15 days at the end of April and in May). All three stints have been due to forearm tightness. deGrom’s MRI didn’t reveal any structural damage but it’s unknown how long he could be out.

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As a result, the New York Mets could be in the market for Colorado Rockies starter Jon Gray

The New York Mets may already be in the market for Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story after their star shortstop Francisco Lindor was placed on the injured list with a grade 2 oblique strain (meaning that he will be out for many weeks) but another injury with deGrom means that the Mets could be looking for more starting pitching and specifically, Rockies starter Jon Gray.

Since June 15, the Mets starters excluding deGrom have an ERA of 4.06, which would be 14th in baseball. The Mets do have All-Stars Marcus Stroman and Taijuan Walker but after them, the Mets have starters who are struggling (e.g. Jerad Eickhoff and his 4.96 ERA), rookies they may not trust in a playoff game (e.g. Tylor Megill who has five MLB starts under his belt), or on the injured list (including deGrom, the Mets currently have six starting pitchers on the IL).

Our colleagues at Rising Apple, FanSided’s site for the New York Mets, also believe that Gray would be a fit for their rotation as well.

The problem for the Rockies is that Gray pitches better at Coors Field (in 2021 and in his career) but also, he is the most likely of their impending free agents to sign a contract extension. He expressed his desire to stay with the Rockies when he joined our podcast last month.

The Mets may be willing to pay top dollar for Gray (and/or Story and some bullpen arms) in the next week and a half if they keep getting performances like they did on Monday when, in Cincinnati, their current replacement for Lindor, Luis Guillorme, committed three errors.

He was a big part of why the Mets pitching staff gave up an astounding 11 runs (and only four were earned) in their 15-11 win. It was a win but it was an ugly win because of their shortstop defense and, often, their pitching staff not being able to stop the bleeding.