Tylor Megill will move to the bullpen, and while the Mets cautioned that the move isn’t permanent, it sounds like they’re coming around to the idea of using the big right-hander in a relief role.
With the acquisition of Paul Blackburn, the Mets had the choice either to go to a six-man rotation or bump Megill for Blackburn. They chose the latter, at least for this turn through the rotation. Blackburn, who was traded from the Oakland A’s on Tuesday ahead of the league-wide trade deadline, will make his first start for the Amazins’ Friday when they begin a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels.
“We added a starter here, so [the move is] for today, then after that, we’ve got a decision to make,” manager Carlos Mendoza said Wednesday at Citi Field before the Mets concluded a series against the Minnesota Twins. “So yeah, we’ve got to get through today and then see what we’ve got there.”
The Mets have been asked about a potential move to the bullpen for Megill on several occasions and each time the club has insisted that they see him as a starter. They value the starting depth in Triple-A and at the big league level, and Megill throws eight pitches. But Megill is in his fourth season as a Major Leaguer and hasn’t been able to stick in the big leagues, whether because of injuries or ineffectiveness.
Megill tends to pitch to a specific pattern: He goes through the order once efficiently and with high velocity before losing command and losing velocity. He’s pitched seven or more innings only three times in 61 starts.
Hitters have a .285 average and an .857 OPS in innings 4-6 against Megill with 24 home runs. He’s also given up 24 home runs in innings 1-3, but he strikes out more hitters and gives up fewer hits in the first three innings.
The result is a 4.71 career ERA. It’s fine, but at this point, the 29-year-old is what he is. It might be better for all involved if he pitches in shorter stints.
“We see him as a starter, but then we could also see him going in the bullpen,” Mendoza said. “You never know, he might throw 100 there because the velo is there, obviously, and he’s got so many pitches, so many weapons if you shoot for an inning for two. I think it just comes down how well it’s going to be bouncing back after an outing and things like that. But big picture, we see him as a starter.”
The team is cognizant of Megill’s need to go through his full warmup routine before getting on the mound. Similar to what they do with Jose Butto, the Mets will give Megill ample time to warm up before bringing him into a game.
“It’ll be fine,” Mendoza said. “In the past, when he’s done it, he adjusted well. Obviously it’s a different routine and we’ll treat it the same way we’ve been doing it with some of these guys that came from the rotation to the bullpen. Butto is the perfect scenario there. So we’ll just — if we want to use him — give him a heads up ahead of time so he can start preparing.”
Megill has made six relief appearances at the Major League level, all coming in 2022, and has allowed four earned runs (6.00 ERA).
Blackburn was lined up to pitch for the A’s on Friday, which factored into the Mets’ weekend rotation plans. With the A’s in San Francisco for the Bay Bridge rivalry series, the Mets sent Blackburn to Anaheim to meet the team in Southern California instead of coming all the way to New York for less than 24 hours only to turn around and get on a six-hour flight with the team. Instead, Blackburn will have either a 45-minute flight or a six-hour drive down to Orange County.
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