Meet Hayden Senger, the best Spring Training story for the Mets...
Plus, the Mets crushed the Marlins in Griffin Canning's final spring tune-up
What’s up with the Mets? 🌴
The Mets annihilated the Marlins 10-2 on Sunday in Port St. Lucie (Box | Highlights)
Outfielder Alexander Canario had a huge game, collecting three hits and homering twice—including a grand slam
Starting in center field, Brandon Nimmo also contributed three hits—including a double and a triple
RHP Griffin Canning started for the Mets and was solid, surrendering two runs on five hits and three walks over 4.1 innings
Outfielders Tyrone Taylor and Starling Marte both clubbed their first home runs of spring training
The Mets clarified their starting rotation and several bullpen spots on Saturday (story)
Roster Moves 🗞️
Optioned RHP Dedniel Núñez to Triple-A Syracuse
Acquired OF Troy Schreffler from the Phillies
Rumor Mill 💨
The Mets are still searching for another right-handed bat (NY Post)
Stories from Port St. Lucie… 📰
The Mets patience with four homegrown players has started to pay off (NY Post)
What’s the best debut in Mets history? (Athletic)
The Mets first base coach is squeezing all he can out of the baserunners (Bergen Record)
Today’s Game 🗓️
Match-up: Mets (13-13) vs Yankees (14-13)
Where: Clover Park • Port St. Lucie, FL
Starters: TBD vs. RHP Marcus Stroman (2-1, 4.66 ERA)
When: 1:10 PM ET
Where to Watch: SNY
The Mets will break camp following today’s game with the Yankees. They’ll be off Tuesday and Wednesday and open the regular season on Thursday against the Astros on Thursday.
Hayden Senger has the first opportunity to get vibes off to a good start in 2025… ✍️
En route to an unlikely run to the NLCS in 2024, the Mets got contributions from several unlikely sources. If I had told you this time last year that Jose Iglesias, Mark Vientos, and Jesse Winker would be playing starring roles on a team making a deep postseason run in just a few months, you would have thought I’d gone insane.
Once I added that names like Reed Garrett, Dedniel Nunez would become key cogs in the bullpen, and that the acquisition of backup catcher Luis Torrens became one of the turning points in a disappointing season, you’d have had me committed.
But that’s what baseball’s all about, right?
For a team to be successful over the course of a grueling 162-game season, it needs to have every member of the 26-man roster pulling on the same end of the rope, while also finding sparks in some seriously unlikely places.
No two seasons are ever the same, and the Mets can’t just expect to begin 2025 with the same magic and mojo they had last fall.
But with the opening-day roster all but set, I do think an opportunity exists for this season’s vibes to get off to a fantastic start.
Obviously, it is less than ideal that starting catcher Francisco Álvarez is slated to miss the first month or so of the season recovering from a broken hamate bone in his hand.
In his absence, the Mets will start the aforementioned Luis Torrens behind the plate, which has opened up a roster spot for 27-year-old minor league veteran Hayden Senger to break camp with the team.
New York’s brass has not yet announced Senger’s inclusion on the Opening Day roster, but when the club optioned fellow veteran Jakson Reetz to minor league camp on Saturday, it became obvious Senger had beaten out the rest of the organization’s in-house options. (It’s of course still possible an external addition is made in the coming days).
The Mets selected the Hamilton, OH, native in the 24th round of the 2018 draft, and while he’s never emerged as a legitimate prospect, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t had an impactful minor league career.
Senger has developed a reputation as a strong defensive backstop and was named the organization’s minor league catcher of the year in 2023. He owns a lifetime .235/.325/.360 in over 400 games in the Mets system. He’s also exactly the type of tertiary character that good teams get big-time moments from over the course of a special season.
MLB.com’s story a few weeks ago about Senger working at Whole Foods the last two winters to earn extra money blew up nationally. He has yet to participate in one Major League inning, yet is already one of the easiest guys in the sport to root for, and provided the Mets don’t make another move behind the plate in the coming days, he’s probably about a week from making his big-league debut.
And once he gets in there, I have a hunch he’ll deliver a big moment or two before Álvarez comes back.
Around the League 🚩
Former Mets righty Adam Ottavino triggered an opt out of his deal with the Red Sox granting him his release after not making the opening day roster (Official)
Bryson Stott homered and drove in three runs in the Phillies 4-2 win over the Tigers
The Mariners released veteran right-handed hitter Mitch Haniger (Seattle Times)
Detroit signed veteran outfielder Manuel Margot (Detroit Free Press)
The Blue Jays and catcher Alejandro Kirk agreed to terms on a five year extension (Fansided)
The Braves sent righty Ian Anderson to the Angels in exchange for left hander Jose Suárez (NY Post)
I guess the Mets have to either waive or try to trade Cannario. He finished the spring strong