An early look at the few (if any) roster competitions for the Mets

In a healthy world. the Mets are locked in at eight positions on the field, their first run through the rotation appears set, and their bullpen is mostly full as well

Michael Baron

Feb 15, 2025

What’s up with the Mets? 🍎

The Mets top four prospects might interest the Padres in a deal for Dylan Cease, if they decide to trade him this spring (NY Post)
Juan Soto (4) and Francisco Lindor (6) are in the top 10 of MLB Network’s top 100 players ranking heading into 2025 (MLB.com)
Jeff McNeil and Starling Marte arrived at camp ahead of Sunday’s reporting date for position players
Edwin Díaz - who can opt out of his contract at the end of this season - had a normal off-season and was able to get his arm in the proper shape, unlike the previous winter (Athletic)
If the Mets are ok with it, Díaz would like to play in the 2026 World Baseball Classic (Newsday)
Tylor Megill is fighting for a roster spot in the big leagues again, but he doesn’t want to go back to the minor leagues (NY Post)
José Buttó will be the Mets’ long reliever again, and he is thrilled to know his role heading into 2025 (NY Daily News)

Injury Updates 🏥

Brandon Nimmo (plantar fasciitis) says the metrics are reporting he is running at 91 percent
Jett Williams was hit by a pitch during a live batting practice session on Friday from Blade Tidwell but came out of it fine and did not need imaging (watch)

Spring workouts highlights - Friday 🏋️‍♀️

Two-way player Nolan McLean threw a live batting practice session on the back fields (Mets Player Development on X)
Tylor Megill threw a live batting practice session - Brett Baty homered off of him (SNY)
Baty was seen working at first base and at second base on Friday (SNY | SNY)
Former Met Daisuke Matsuzaka visited Kodai Senga in Mets camp (IG)

If healthy, the Mets roster looks pretty locked heading into Opening Day… ✍️

In years past, we have come into spring training talking about multiple position player competitions, how a rotation spot or two might shake out, and how races for bullpen roles take shape over the course of camp.

Not this year for the Mets. At least not to the degree they normally do.

The Mets have eight position players essentially locked in heading into the season, at least right now. Sure, injuries can change the calculus of the active roster, but assuming all goes well (and I know that is far from a safe assumption) this spring, the only position that may be up for grabs heading into Opening Day is second base, and I don’t think whoever plays second base on March 27 is playing second base on March 28.

Having said that, I do believe second base is Jeff McNeil’s job to lose, which is why I said second base could be the only position with any sort of race attached to it. He’s the veteran, he’s the one who has the track record (even if it is becoming more and more distant), and that’s just how it works in sports. One of Brett Baty or Luisangel Acuña could make the team as the primary backup, but my guess is the Mets will want them starting somewhere until they’re needed in the big leagues. Nick Madrigal, who is in camp on a split major league contract, can play three infield positions and will get a look at shortstop this spring, where the Mets need a backup to Francisco Lindor.

Of course, the deciding factor there is likely the presence of Starling Marte, who has been relegated to a part-time role on this roster and will therefore be on the bench when he isn’t in the lineup as a DH. The Mets reportedly tried to trade Marte this winter and were willing to eat a significant portion of the $19.5 million he is owed, but there have been no takers to date. This is, of course, an example of what David Stearns has spoken repeatedly about keeping the roster unclogged and allowing opportunities for their young players to play or be in the big leagues.

In other words, Marte’s presence is taking a roster spot away from one young Met at the moment.

The top of the depth chart is obvious:

Francisco Álvarez C
Pete Alonso 1B
Jeff McNeil 2B
Francisco Lindor SS
Mark Vientos 3B
Brandon Nimmo LF
Tyrone Taylor/Jose Siri CF
Juan Soto RF

The only wild card right now here is Nimmo, who has said he is still working his way back from the plantar fasciitis which plagued him for much of the 2024 season. He said on Friday he is running at 91 percent based on the biometrics, which is good progress for him, but he has yet to test that in and recover from any sort of game action.

The Mets can always have Taylor in left field and Siri in center if Nimmo isn’t ready, but for now, that’s merely a contingency, and the Mets will unquestionably play Nimmo’s situation as conservatively as they can over the next 4-5 weeks.

The rotation is an interesting puzzle for the Mets to solve out of the gate.

Stearns and Carlos Mendoza have said repeatedly the Mets will employ a six-man rotation when possible throughout the season, which is why they have so many starting pitchers in camp on major league contracts. Having said that, the Mets don’t technically need a fifth starter until April 6 against the Marlins and won’t need a sixth starter until April 17 against the Cardinals.

Based on the schedule, they could go back to their opening day starter on April 1 and roll with four starters during that turn through the rotation. They can do that again between April 1 and April 6 and send their opening day starter out on April 6, and then again on April 12 before transitioning to the six-man rotation.

Now, I do think the Mets will roll with five starters out of the gate and not use a four-man rotation the first week of the season despite the three off-days they have between Opening Day and April 11. Clubs tend not to be super-aggressive with their rotation early in the season. Rather, they keep them on conservative pitch counts while they try and build them up to full season strength.

But it would seem unlikely they use six starters until the schedule calls for it. It’s one thing to keep pitchers on a five or six-day schedule, but three off-days would probably create too much rest for their starters in a six-man scenario.

So, the rotation over the first couple of weeks could be some combination of Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, David Peterson, and Clay Holmes with Tylor Megill, Griffin Canning, and perhaps Paul Blackburn (recovering from spinal leak surgery) vying for the sixth spot well into April, assuming everyone stays healthy (which isn’t often the case).

Again, not a lot of roster maneuverability there. Three players, one rotation spot which probably won’t be available until mid-April if all goes well this spring.

The bullpen could have a little fluidity to it depending on how things shake out with AJ Minter, who is still working his way back from August hip surgery and isn’t yet 100 percent. If he can’t go, that could open an opportunity to have two of Canning, Megill, and Danny Young in the bullpen on Opening Day, but we won’t really know for sure how realistic that is until the final week or two of camp. By all accounts, Minter should be good to go for Opening Day, but there’s a sliver of doubt there until proven otherwise.

If everyone is healthy, Minter, Edwin Díaz, Dedniel Núñez, Reed Garrett, José Buttó, Ryne Stanek, Sean Reid-Foley, and one of Young, Canning, or Megill is version one of the bullpen.

And if I had to guess, if Minter isn’t ready, Young will definitely be on the roster.

Once again, in an ideal world, three players, one spot. In the bullpen, that’s not a bad thing from my seat.

The bench also looks pretty set. I don’t see any open competitions there right now with Madrigal, Marte, Taylor/Siri, and Luis Torrens on the roster in presumptive roles for this team.

The disclaimer for all of this is people get hurt, and Spring Training is long. There’s almost no certainty with any of this, as we have all come to learn over the years. We still have a long way to go here, and as Stearns said the other day, Opening Day is simply one out of many active rosters the Mets will employ over the course of the season.

Or maybe over the first week of the season.

Around the League 🚩

Marcus Stroman told reporters at Yankee camp he will not pitch out of the bullpen (SNY)
RHP Kendall Graveman is joining the Diamondbacks on a one-year contract (ESPN)
Ronald Acuña Jr. says his knee is 90-95% - he still could start the season on the injured list (ESPN)
The Royals and Cole Reagans agreed to a three-year contract extension (MLB.com)