"I think difficult decisions are a good thing."
The above quote came from David Stearns on Monday while he was speaking about the conundrum the Mets will be facing when Francisco Alvarez and Jeff McNeil return from the IL, which could come as soon as Friday.
In Alvarez and McNeil's absence, their replacements -- Luis Torrens and Luisangel Acuña -- have excelled, which could mean the kind of split playing time that perhaps wasn't envisioned when Alvarez and McNeil suffered their injuries during spring training.
But things happen. And plans change.
While not an imminent situation the Mets face, the club could have some tough (but good) choices to make with their starting rotation in the near future.
And though Stearns hasn't yet fielded a question about what the team will do when Brandon Sproat -- and later Nolan McLean -- are deemed ready, it's fair to believe he'd respond much like he did when discussing Alvarez and McNeil on Monday: "I think difficult decisions are a good thing."
As far as Sproat specifically, it will be a shock if he remains in Triple-A Syracuse all season if the Mets determine that he's ready for the majors. That's simply not how good teams operate.
When your top starting pitching prospect, who also happens to be the top prospect in your entire organization, is ready, you make room for him.
An old adage to cite at this point is that potentially tough decisions -- like the one the Mets could have with their rotation -- almost always find a way of working themselves out.