The New York Mets are still fighting for home-field advantage in the NLDS, so their postseason rotation is not at all official. However, rumors indicate it will consist of the club's youngest arms.
You've guessed it: Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz.
Conventional wisdom suggests deGrom will start Game 1, but then the rest is up in the air. If the Mets have to travel to Los Angeles for the first two games of the NLDS, it's possible Harvey starts Game 2 and Syndergaard gets Game 3 because he pitches much better at Citi Field (7-2 with a 2.57 ERA in 11 home starts vs. 2-5 with a 4.23 ERA in 12 road starts). As for Matz, it looks like he will start Game 4 (if necessary) after his outings since his return from the disabled list.
General manager Sandy Alderson confirmed only one thing: Harvey will "probably" be limited to one start in the NLDS and it will more than likely be Game 3 (assuming the Mets maintain the No. 2 seed in the NL).
"Game 3 is an important game," Alderson told Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. "It doesn't matter whether up 2-0 or down 0-2 or 1-1, it's a big game."
Additionally, while Harvey disregarded his innings limit this past weekend and helped the Mets clinch their first NL East title since 2006 after throwing 97 pitches over 6 2/3 innings, he still needs to be restricted to some capacity to preserve the health of his elbow.
"Alderson said Harvey's recently expressed desire to relax the innings talk will not materially change how the Mets use him in the postseason," Rubin added. "In the playoff games in which Harvey appears, he will have a full workload. But he won't be ridden hard in terms of frequency of outings."
The three starters we can pencil in for New York are deGrom, Harvey and Syndergaard.
As for Matz, he has yet to be named to the postseason rotation in favor of fellow starter Bartolo Colon, but that's only because of his recent injury. The left-hander is dealing with stiffness on the right side of his back (after apparently sleeping awkwardly) and his next start was pushed back a day, so it's likely the team just wants to see if he's healthy before making an official announcement.
Additionally, manager Terry Collins previously said Matz would not be used out of the bullpen, which all but confirmed he'd be a starter in the playoffs, further spurring rumors.
"I think we're fairly certain on three [starters] and we'll figure out the fourth as we get closer to the playoffs," Alderson told Mike Puma of the New York Post. "Anything we decide now is tentative, anyway, based on what happens and this is a good example of how something can happen. But we don't expect this to have an impact on Matz beyond the next two or three days."
So if these four youngsters comprise the postseason rotation, that'll leave the two veterans - Colon and Jon Niese - as bullpen options. Although Colon has 10 postseason starts with the Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics under his belt (2-4, 3.70 ERA), Alderson said that will not factor into the team's selection of starters for the rotation.
"What we have is what we have," Alderson added, via Puma. "Would you like to have playoff experience? Sure, that would be the preference. But would you rather have four horses that throw 95, 96, 98 [mph]? That would be nice, too. Nothing is ever perfect, but I think we have a lot of confidence in our young guys."
"If [Colon] were to go to the bullpen, Niese has already expressed a willingness to go to the pen, so that would give us two guys with the ability to go longer," he continued, via Rubin. "That certainly would be a possibility."
In the event of a bad start, a high pitch count or an injury to the rotation, both Niese and Colon would provide long relief options, as would young starter Logan Verrett (if he makes the postseason roster).
It certainly looks like the Mets are set up nicely once the playoffs begin next week. The only problem will be getting past Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke in the first two games of the NLDS.
Stay tuned for updates regarding the Mets' postseason rotation.