Report: Dillon Gee to be 5th Starter

In an unsurprising development, a report fom ESPN on Wednesday says Dillon Gee will be the Mets fifth starter, replacing the injured Zack Wheeler.

Rafael Montero made a strong push for the job with a fine spring, but in the end, the Mets chose to go with the sure thing.

It is hard to fault the Mets for picking Gee; after all, they are paying him more than $5 million just for this type of scenario. But Montero clearly has more upside than Gee and could prove to be an electric pitcher if all goes well. Gee will be solid but unspectacular.

It will be interesting to see what happens with the Mets rotation as the season progresses. Both Noah Syndergaard and Stephen Matz are probably already major league ready, and Montero will be too good for long relief. The Mets would likely not hesitate to replace Gee in the rotation if he falters. But what if Bartolo Colon or Jonathon Niese have stretches of ineffectiveness? Would the Mets remove either or both of them from the rotation, especially if the team is in contention?

All we can do is wait and see.