Lamet's changeup has progressed enough over the past three months that he now has the three-pitch mix necessary to remain in the rotation long term, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
Coming into the year, the big knock on Lamet was that he didn't have a third pitch, and would eventually need to move to the bullpen. His fastball and slider both project as plus pitches, but he needed to add a changeup to consistently turn over big-league lineups. Lamet didn't start regularly honing his circle changeup until he was sent to minor-league camp in March. With an average velocity of 90.2 mph, it is the hardest changeup in baseball, among pitchers who have thrown at least 30 changeups this year. "He could've been good with just fastball-slider," catcher Austin Hedges said. "The changeup could make him very, very special." Lamet has a 2.70 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 16:3 K:BB in 10 innings over two big-league starts this year, and given the addition of a quality third pitch, he should be scooped up in the majority of formats.