Evaluating the market for left-handed starters

With the trade deadline nearing, the Mets have made it clear their priority is the bullpen—not the rotation. While they continue to look to strengthen their left-handed relief corps, adding a left-handed starter seems unlikely given the limited quality options available on the market. President of Baseball Operations David Stearns summed up the team’s position perfectly: “Acquiring starting pitching at this time of year is pretty difficult... If those [ceiling-raising] guys are available, we’ll be involved.”

On paper, the rotation looks stable with lefty Sean Manaea, David Peterson, Kodai Senga, Clay Holmes, and Frankie Montas; however, workload is becoming a concern. Since June 26, Mets…