"It sucks to watch him on the sideline" - New York Mets unnerved by Jacob deGrom's extended absence, prepare for season with a trade with New York Yankees

The New York Mets are going to be without two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob DeGrom for a while. After a 2021 campaign that saw the right-handed fireballer riddled with injuries, the ace of the Mets was raring to get back to the mound and reassert his dominance as the best pitcher in Major League Baseball in 2022. However, DeGrom's season will have to wait as he sustained a stress reaction on his right scalpula, which will keep him from pitching for a minimum of four weeks. While the injury is not as serious as those relating to the labrum or the rotator cuff, it is a blow to a Mets squad that was relying on DeGrom returning to form to put the team back into the playoffs.

The New York Mets are in big trouble heading into Opening Day

This offseason for the New York Mets was one that was characterized by an enormous investment into the ballclub by billionaire owner Steve Cohen. Cohen awarded the largest annual salary in Major League Baseball history when the team signed co-ace Max Scherzer to a three-year contract that allowed them to outbid the bottomless money pit that is the Los Angeles Dodgers. Cohen continued to spend, bringing in former Los Angeles Angels general manager Billy Eppler to fill the same role with the Mets. The team continued its spending spree as they brought in former Oakland Athletics outfielders Starling Marte and Mark Canha via free agency and trading for the A's best pitcher in Chris Bassit.

Oakland Athletics v Seattle Mariners

The team will do its best to move on and keep competing in DeGrom's absence. Max Scherzer is more than capable of leading the Mets' rotation in its efforts to compete with the National League East. Eppler will continue to look for ways to fill the roster void, as the team swung a trade with its cross-town rivals in the New York Yankees to send reliever Miguel Castro to the Bronx in exchange for left-hander Joely Rodriguez.

This news came after reports that the team was rumored to be in negotiations with the San Diego Padres for pitcher Chris Paddack. While it doesn't directly address the woes in the starting rotation, bolstering the bullpen allows for starters to have more support and stay out of high leverage and intense situations. Hopefully, when DeGrom returns, New York can resume its quest for a title.