The news of Jacob deGrom’s injury has the majority of Mets fans spiraling. It all started out with “shoulder soreness” which turned into a trip to the injured list without a clear timetable for the superstar ace. To make matters even worse, Max Scherzer is reportedly dealing with a minor injury as well. Despite all of this, Mets' manager Buck Showalter is maintaining a positive mentality. 

Showalter shared why he believes the deGrom injury could be beneficial for the Mets in the long run. 

“Think about how strong he’s going to be as the season progresses. What’s the trade deadline nowadays? That’s a pretty good addition. Instead of a trade, Jacob deGrom.”

It is clear that the only thing holding deGrom back is health. He finished the first portion of last year with a jaw-dropping ERA of 1.08 before his season came to a premature end due to injury. Showalter is implying that he may be able to return healthier and stronger than he would have been had he started the season on the Mets active roster. 

Pitching from March through September and potentially October equates to an incredibly high workload. For an injury-plagued veteran such as deGrom, that kind of workload can prove to be extremely detrimental. But if his season does not begin until May or June, he may be able to stay healthy down the stretch which is exactly what New York needs. 

Although deGrom was electric through the first half of last season, the Mets crumbled as soon as it was announced he was going to miss the remainder of the year. They would prefer to have him completely healthy in the second half rather than the first in 2022.

However, the Mets felt more confident about the situation when Max Scherzer seemed primed to take over the role as the main ace of the team in deGrom's absence. But he was recently scratched from a scheduled start because of a hamstring ailment. Scherzer explained that he does not believe the issue will be a problem for him moving forward, but it is certainly something to keep an eye on. 

If he ends up missing an extended period of time, one of Carlos Carrasco, Taijuan Walker, or Chris Bassitt would be in line to start Opening Day for the Mets. 

As of now, Mets fans can lean on Buck Showalter’s surprisingly optimistic take about the Jacob deGrom injury. If the team at least stays in contention through the first part of the 2022 campaign, a deGrom return would spike energy and provide New York with a truly elite mid-season addition.