Mets desperate to avoid another hellish pitching scenario: Sherman

The twist in this Mets season is that if they win the NL East, no opponent is going to want to see them in the playoffs if their starting pitching — notably Jacob deGrom — is healthy. Yet nothing threatens the Mets even making the postseason more than the well-being of their pitching.

It is why what is being said over and over from opposing teams is that the Mets are relentlessly asking about pitching. They would love impact. But they are not viewed as legitimate players for Max Scherzer. Unless they could involve a third team, they may lack the top-level pitching prospects necessary to land Jose Berrios — if the Twins even trade him. What remains on the chessboard then are starters such as Texas’ Kyle Gibson and Jordan Lyles, Colorado’s Jon Gray and the Cubs’ Zach Davies. The expectation is that the Mets will still add an arm (maybe two) before Friday’s trade deadline, but that it might be more of the Rich Hill level of impact.