The Mets once vaunted rotation seemingly has three holes in it.  Steven Matz has failed to pitch at least five innings in half of his starts.  Against teams that are not the Miami Marlins, Zack Wheeler is 1-3 with a 6.97 ERA.  Jason Vargas finally lasted five innings in his last start, and those five scoreless innings lowered his ERA from 13.86 to 9.87.

With each poor start, there is a renewed call for Seth Lugo to join the Mets rotation.  To a certain extent, those fans will get their wish when Lugo gets a spot start next week.  However, the question still remains about whether he should be in the bullpen or the rotation.  In this edition of the Mets Blogger Roundtable, we tackle that exact question:

Michael Baron (MLB)

It’s not that simple, especially without having Anthony Swarzak at their disposal. Right now, they don’t have an effective reliever – other than Lugo – against left-handed hitters. AJ Ramos has struggled as well. Lugo is one of three relievers they can count on to get the ball to Jeurys Familia, and because the rotation is so thin, he continues to come up aces in extended relief outings. Also, Lugo seems to have found a niche in relief, knows how to get outs in short stints utilizing a heavier fastball and that curve, proving to be a huge asset for them in this role. But, there is a need in the rotation – starters not named Jacob deGrom or Noah Syndergaard have an ERA over 6 (as of 5/20) and are struggling to throw even 4 innings consistently. So, they might have to rob Peter to pay Paul at some point in Lugo’s situation.

Ed Leyro (Studious Metsimus)

If Anthony Swarzak can be as effective as Lugo has been when he returns from the disabled list, then and only then should Lugo be considered for a role in the starting rotation. Otherwise, why mess with a good thing? There’s no guarantee Lugo will be able to pitch as effectively when he has to pitch five-plus innings as a starter. It’s up to Wheeler, Matz and Vargas to step up their game so Lugo can continue to be at the top of his in the bullpen.

Greg Prince (Faith and Fear in Flushing)

Moving a pitcher whose primary flaw was the inability to get batters out a third time through the order from a role where he’s more effective because he doesn’t have to do that would not seem to strengthen either the rotation or the bullpen.

Breanna Susa (MMO, That Mets Chick)

He’s a vital part of the bullpen, but if the rotation continues to struggle I would want him in the rotation. But only when Swarzak comes back, so they aren’t short handed in the bullpen.

Mets Daddy

Ultimately, the Mets are going to need to try something.  Ideally, you would give a llook to Corey Oswalt or Chris Flexen in the rotation, especially with a doubleheader scheduled for Monday.  It should be noted Oswalt had a terrific start yesterday in Las Vegas, and Flexen’s last start in Vegas was great as well before he was called up to languish in the Mets bullpen.

Really, the Mets need to try something here because unless the Mets are facing the Marlins, neither Wheeler nor Vargas has been cutting it.  Who knows what will get Matz going again?  In the end, Lugo may just be the best available starting pitching option, and the Mets are going to have to replace him with one of the aforementioned pitchers in the bullpen.  While that may sound risky, it should be noted Lugo has been a much different pitcher in the bullpen than he has in the rotation.  Maybe the same will hold true for Wheeler, Matz, etc.

While what the Mets should do with Lugo remains uncertain, one thing that remains certain is the Mets have a great fanbase and group of bloggers who regularly write about the team.  I encourage you to read their work in the attached links.