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Kallet: Mets' Rotation Has The Depth Needed To Survive Some Setbacks

By Brad Kallet
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Everyone can breathe a sigh of relief.

Mets ace Matt Harvey, it was revealed on Tuesday, had an infection which led to a blot clot in his bladder. But the hard-throwing right-hander underwent a successful procedure Monday night and is expected to make his scheduled start Sunday when the Mets kick off their season with a World Series rematch again the Royals.

First and foremost, the most important thing is that Harvey is fully healthy. As it pertains to baseball, it's obviously a bonus that one of the best pitchers on the planet won't miss any time, let alone an extended period.

When it was announced Monday that Harvey was dealing with a non-baseball medical issue and his status for the start of the season was in doubt, the reaction was very interesting. Listening to fans and pundits alike, you would have thought that Yoenis Cespedes, David Wright, Jeurys Familia, Travis d'Arnaud and Steven Matz were going to miss three months of the year.

To be fair, most fans' reactions were measured and levelheaded. I'm just making a point. To some, it seemed the sky was already falling in Queens.

When I heard the news, my reaction was one of relative indifference. Of course I was disappointed — you never want to lose a pitcher of Harvey's caliber, and I was a tad concerned about the starter's personal well-being — but as for it hurting the club, there wasn't much reason to worry.

That is, of course, because of the talent in the Mets' rotation and the unit's incredible depth. Even if Harvey were to miss a month, this club would be in very good shape to win 90 games and return to the playoffs. Now if Harvey were to miss a significant portion of the season, that would be a different story. But a spot start or two in between Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Matz and Bartolo Colon? Every other team in the league would sign up for that right this second.

If, say, two of New York's top four starters — and that's not even including Zack Wheeler, who is expected to return in the summer — were to go down with injuries, that would be awfully difficult to make up for. But it's unrealistic to think that none of the Mets' six main starters will land on the disabled list this season. That's an unfortunate part of the game, but the Mets are more than equipped to deal with such a situation if it arises.

What would be far more troubling than Harvey missing time would be Cespedes missing time, or even Michael Conforto or Curtis Granderson. New York's offense is strong, but the lineup is far from a juggernaut. If a big bat lands on the disabled list — again, it's a likely scenario in this day and age — the Mets might again have trouble scratching out more than two or three runs a game. This lineup is deeper than last year's, however, and should be able to survive the inevitable injury.

MORE: Palladino: Is Harvey's Health Scare Just The Beginning For Mets?

Getting back to the pitching, general manager Sandy Alderson and manager Terry Collins have a true embarrassment of riches on their hands. DeGrom and Harvey are clear-cut No. 1s, and Syndergaard — a No. 3 starter! — might be the most talented of the trio. His stuff is unquestionably electric, and in due time he might surpass the aforementioned hurlers as the true staff ace.

It's unfair to say that the Mets have four aces in their deck, because 24-year-old Matz has made just nine career starts (including the postseason). But the left-hander was almost as good, if not on par, with the big three during his cup of coffee in the majors. He already has big-game experience and has proven that he can be a top-of-the-rotation guy. Many scouts project him to be an All-Star, and this year he'll be the fourth starter (a spot usually reserved for 35-year-old journeymen and unproven 20-somethings with limited ceilings.)

Colon, aka "Big Sexy," isn't anywhere near as talented as the four men in front of him, but the ageless wonder continues to get major league hitters out, eat a ton of innings and keep the team in games. That's all you can ask from a fifth starter, and he's arguably the most effective No. 5 in the league.

And then there's Wheeler, who missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He's the forgotten man, but it's worth pointing out that when he was acquired from the Giants for Carlos Beltran in 2011 he was New York's top pitching prospect. Still just 25, the Georgian has shown flashes of dominance over his 49 career starts in the majors, and if he comes back with a vengeance this rotation will truly be special.

He'll slot in the five hole upon his return, pushing Colon into a long-man role assuming none of the starters are on the DL. (Collins might also use a six-man rotation, especially considering Wheeler will be eased back with caution and will likely need extra rest.)

This rotation was remarkable in 2015, and that was with Harvey coming off Tommy John surgery, Syndergaard and Matz making a combined 30 regular-season starts and no Wheeler.

Moral of the story: Don't worry about this pitching staff. It will be just fine, even if there are a couple blips on the radar along the way.

Brad Kallet is the managing editor of TENNIS.com and a frequent contributor to WFAN. Follow him on Twitter @brad_kallet

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