Mets Rotation Rounding Into Form With Lannan

Mets should be more than fine with, say, Colon, Niese, Wheeler, Gee and Lannan.
— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) January 19, 2014

With the signing of John Lannan, it seems the Mets have solidified a starting rotation with which to start the year. As Adam Rubin of ESPN NY notes, the signing stacks Lannan at the back of a rotation that already includes 4 established starters. Presuming Lannan is able to fend off Mejia for the fifth spot in the rotation, this is likely what we will be seeing every five days. Having Mejia in Las Vegas as a safety net is a nice consolation as well.

Looking at this staff, I'm inclined to believe that starting pitching will not be the weakness of this Met squad. Colon is coming off of an 18 win season in Oakland last season, and even a slight drop off would leave him a more than adequate starter. The other three names we're more familiar with; Niese will be looking to continue to progress and stay healthy, Gee is steady and effective, and Wheeler may take the opportunity of being a middle of the rotation pitcher this year to truly flourish.

That said, the team still lacks sorely in other areas. The bullpen seems destined to be a question mark, and no improvements have been made at short or first base. Right now we are still looking at a losing baseball team.