MIAMI -- As the 2015 Mets steamed toward the postseason, it seemed their pitching grew stronger by the week. Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom, each carrying ace credentials, were in top form heading into October. Something clicked for Noah Syndergaard, a midseason callup, late in the year. Another rookie, Steven Matz, grew healthier as the Mets entered postseason play.
Things could hardly be less similar this autumn, with Harvey, deGrom and Matz all done for the season. Their surgeries ensure that regardless of how the Mets handle Syndergaard and Bartolo Colon -- and there's plenty of potential shuffling still to come -- they will proceed into October with two unheralded rookies in their rotation.