Reese Kaplan -- Mets Offseason Roster Bullet List Week Thirteen

Mack's Mets will summarize players mentioned as possible new members of the team available via trade or free agency that have popped up in the media associated with them as a part of the 40 man roster.  These bullet points are not necessarily factual as if they were leaked from the Mets front office.  They comprise opinions, rumors and hypotheticals that various Mets beat writers and bloggers have felt necessary to put out into public notice.  Like EPA gas mileage ratings, take the news with a grain of salt.  We share but don’t necessarily endorse any of these transactions. 

As Spring Training progresses it appears that the Mets may need their own M*A*S*H unit of emergency medical personnel to handle the rash of injuries that have already occurred.  In chronological order let’s tack the trio of notable casualties.

Pitcher Frankie Montas was the first to hit the ER ward when it was revealed he’s suffering from a high lat strain which is putting him in non-baseball purgatory for several weeks before even thinking of resuming normal preparatory exercises and activities.  While many were not particularly happy about this signing, he was known for giving his all when healthy.  Consequently the innings missed are going to be hard to replace.

Next on the figurative stretcher was infielder Nick Madrigal whose quest to become the new Jose Iglesias got sidelined when he came down with a left shoulder sprain.  The Mets knew it was serious when a day after it happened he was put on the 60-day IL which opened up a 40-man roster spot for someone else.  The loud chorus of “Sign OMG Iglesias” rang loudly and frequently as soon as the injury was reported, but the Mets went back to the company line about trying to curtail further payroll dollars being paid out along with the corresponding Cohen Tax that would accompany them.

Speaking of lat strains, next on the injury list was the more-or-less rotation ace Sean Manaea whose personal one-on-one sessions with Johan Santana are now terminated.  His lat strain is regarded as not quite as severe as what afflicted teammate Montas, but he’s definitely off the baseball diamond perhaps for the remainder of Spring Training and into the first few weeks of the regular season. 

Ouch!

On the pitching front, it likely means that the Mets are going to lean heavily on the in-house options of Tylor Megill, Paul Blackburn, Max Kranick and Griffin Canning.  They are all part of the existing payroll and as such won’t present additional salary dollars nor MLB tax revenue to absorb.  That solution on the starting rotation side is acceptable for perhaps 1-3 games, but instead now it is easily at minimum 2-6 since it’s two starting pitchers down and likely will last significantly longer than that given the nature of the recovery time each of Manaea and Montas are expecting.  While trades to help fill the void are appealing, you still have the financial side of the picture.  The only quick fixes around would be the Mets somehow finding takers for Starling Marte and/or Jeff McNeil since they would open up some money to spend even if a lot of what they were paid down would come off the top.  That situation quickly put off the seemingly easy solution of bringing back Jose Quintana as pitching insurance.

On the infield side, here again the Mets must be looking first in-house. Luisangel Acuna probably catapulted himself to the top of the depth chart as he can play all three infield positions in a backup role.  Brett Baty’s stock rose significantly as he’s been taking balls at second base in addition to his normal routine at third base, but he’s not anyone’s idea of a backup shortstop.  Ronny Mauricio is not yet 100% healthy and expected to begin yet another year in Syracuse when he’s deemed ready to play.  Jett Williams despite taking a HBP on the hand is not yet a veteran of AAA and likely is headed there as well.  Other veteran infielders would be available right now on the open market and later in Spring Training as cuts begin to be made.  Since it’s a fill-in position it’s more likely the Mets go internal here and keep both Mauricio and Williams as backups in AAA should either Acuna nor Baty not get the job done. 

That approach does indeed become a bit sketchier should Jeff McNeil wind up playing in a new uniform.  All of the sudden everyone on that list must bump up a slot on the depth chart.  While you won’t know what each of these four players can do until they try, it’s still a bigger risk than keeping the offensive/defensive side of the roster more-or-less intact.

Let’s not forget Pete Alonso taking a ball to the face during infield practice which could have been quite scary but he later in the same day rejoined the drills which suggested it was a temporary disruption.

In Other News...

Clay Holmes may have outperformed new teammate Juan Soto who hit a CF home run in his first Mets preseason at-bat.  While that was great to see, three perfect send ‘em up and mow ‘em down innings from the newly transitioned starting pitcher had to make everyone feel terrific from Holmes himself, his manager Carlos Mendoza, pitching coach Jeremy Hefner and the front office.  Given the 2 major hits to the starting rotation already, the Mets are going to have to lean heavily on Holmes as a starting pitcher, Kodai Senga himself recovering from a lost 2024 season, David Peterson and whomever fills the shoes of lat strain duo. 

Long forgotten third round draft pick Matt Allan is back on the field and once again attempting to restore the team’s faith in their decision to engage him as a youngster.  Allan’s career has been riddled with long term injuries and recoveries.  How long has it been?  Well, back in 2019 between two teams he went 1-0 over 5 starts and 6 games with a 2.61 ERA fanning well over a dozen per 9 IP.  His walks will need to come under control which sabotaged his WHIP, but that small sample was certainly enough to get the team salivating about his future.  Of course, that was before multiple surgeons went after various ailments on his body, including his forearm, two hacks at his elbow and then his hamstring.  He’s not taken the field now to ring up metrics in four full years plus the missed 2020 Covid season which shut down all minor leaguers.  Five years is a mightly long time to wait and the once hotshot at age 18 is now 24 at an age where a progression to AAA would be considered fairly normal.  He hasn’t even made it to AA.  Still, everyone is watching and hoping...

The folks who work the betting slips are already out with the Mets line for 2025 with 91.5 wins being the arbitrary line in the sand for folks looking to bet the over or the under.  The issue at hand may have worsened somewhat with the injuries that occurred but it is still better than what people got in 2024 when the club rallied to garner 89 wins, tying the Atlanta Braves and 6 games back of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Juan Soto made headlines this week but not for what he did with his bat.  He very much wanted his number 22 back which belonged to Met prospect Brett Baty.  The very wealthy Soto bought his number 22 by purchasing Baty the so-called “car of his dreams,” a brand new Chevrolet Tahoe.  It’s not an unheard of gesture by a star player but for the new Met it meant a great deal to earn his way into fraternity with his New York teammates.

A long shot minor leaguer, Jared Young was potentially a bench player when Pete Alonso had not yet signed a new Mets contract.  The 29 year old lefty swinging first baseman has played all over North America and recently in Korea.  During his 38 game audition there he his .326 with 10 HRs and 39 RBIs, so there is some pop in that bat.  Whether or not he fits into the Mets roster is an ultimate game of chance, but it would appear he’s worth observing in Florida.

Outfielder Jose Siri is well known for both his acrobatic defense and his base running speed.  He’s always shown elite home run power but unfortunately swinging and missing has curtailed his ability to gain traction as a regular player.  During this past off season he has retooled his swing in the hopes of making more regular contact as he fights for regular center field position with Tyrone Taylor.  While he obviously can out field now departed Harrison Bader, his hitting needs to show marked improvement to achieve at least a league average output before folks will be happy having him in the lineup for 4 or more occasions per game. 

An interesting bevy of former Mets are attempting to make a new home for themselves in the Tampa Rays organization.  Right now that list includes starting pitcher Mike Vasil, recovering pitcher Nate Lavender, relievers Eric Orze, Paul Gervase and Keyshawn Askew, along with outfielder Jake Mangum.  That’s a lot of guys from the Mets farm system landing in one place.

The Seattle Mariners ace pitcher Luis Castillo won’t go away with the Mets down not one but two starting pitchers.  Yes, he’s a workhorse and signed to what these days is an equitable salary for a number one hurler, but the Mets have been adamant about not wanting to pay 1.5 times the amount for new personnel.  He will continue to appear in articles now and towards the July trading deadline. 

Before the injuries hit the biggest battles appeared to be between the would-be 6th starting pitcher or long reliever.  Paul Blackburn and Griffin Canning are out of options and either need to come north, get cut loose or traded.  Now that scenario shifts a bit.  The bullpen battles appeared to be between Huascar Brazoban, Dedniel Nunez, Sean Reid-Foley and Danny Young.  With one of the would-be starters perhaps residing in the pen it could make for a bloody battle.  Then there’s the question of spare infielder.  Acuna is intriguing if unproven.  Baty is not known for playing 2nd nor shortstop.  With Madrigal now down and out it’s anyone’s guess for backup infielders.

With the Yankees set to begin the year with another Giancarlo Stanton injury, one article proposed a natural fit for Starling Marte who could take the field and serve as base running speed.  The hypothetical return to the Mets was Allen Facundo and Rafael Flores.  For people unfamiliar with these names, Facundo is a left handed starting pitcher who has made 20 starts in 33 games going as high as A-ball.  He delivered a 3.22 ERA with 169 strikeouts in 109 IP.  Flores is a catcher/first baseman who hit 31 HRs and drove in 115 over 830 minor league ABs while hitting over .270.  He’s already 24 years old and was undrafted as a free agent, but has shown hitting ability.  Together it may not seem like a great return for Marte, but if the Mets can roll the dice on a few youngsters while reducing their payroll it’s not a bat thought.

No rumor week would be complete without a slew of articles regarding Vlad Guerrero, Jr. who turned down the last offer from Toronto.  He will sell himself to the highest bidder at year’s end unless some miracle occurs in the Blue Jays front office and payroll flexibility.  Obviously with Pete Alonso only guaranteed for a single season he will be on the Mets radar and in their spreadsheets. 

One name out of left field for the now starting pitching deprived Mets is Alex Wood who has been a quality pitcher for his major league career but posted some ugly numbers last season with Oakland while dealing with elbow pain.  He would likely take a minor league deal at this point but he’s not going to be in the $1 million range when promoted to the majors.  He would cost more and many would question if at his age, health and salary he is a smarter deal than rolling the dice on in-house options.

Let’s end this week’s rehash with a view of what the $765 million man can do for the Mets this season: