What should we make of Kodai Senga?
Plus, Francisco Lindor discusses a potential captaincy, and José Iglesias wants to return to the Met
What’s up with the Mets? 🍎
Mets position players will officially report to Port St. Lucie today - Juan Soto and Pete Alonso are among those who did not arrive at camp early but will be there today
Francisco Lindor expects to play all 162 games in 2025, but Mets manager Carlos Mendoza will speak with Lindor about managing his stamina over the course of the year
Lindor would be honored if the Mets decided to make him the team’s captain, but acknowledged such decisions were out of his control
Regarding Starling Marte, Mendoza said he will be a role player in 2025, whether that’s coming off the bench or in a DH platoon. Marte wants to take reps in centerfield in an effort to become more versatile
Mendoza said the Mets will have Brett Baty at second base and third base during Grapefruit League games
Jeff McNeil is confident he can return to his previous form that won him a batting title in 2022 (Newsday)
José Iglesias wants to return to the Mets - he is still holding out hope they sign him (NY Post)
Injury Updates 🏥
Starling Marte (knee) is in a running progression, but won’t appear in early spring games
Dedniel Núñez (elbow) suffered a setback in his rehab in December, but while he is healthy now, he is behind schedule and has not yet thrown a live batting practice session
“I do feel like I am one of the leaders on the team, but there are a lot of leaders. The captain is something that is not up for me to decide. If it does happen, it will be fantastic. It would be an honor and a privilege. It’s something I would never take for granted. It’s something that would put me next to the greats of this organization forever, and it would be very humbling.”
~ Francisco Lindor
Spring workouts highlights - Saturday 🏋️♀️
Kodai Senga threw 16 pitches in live batting practice - he allowed hard contact to Brett Baty but retired Ronny Mauricio, Francisco Álvarez and Jeff McNeil in order. He topped out at 96 mph (Mets YouTube channel)
What to make of Kodai Senga… ✍️
I am not going to question the talent of Kodai Senga. He can be one of the most dynamic pitchers in the league with some of the filthiest stuff in baseball, thanks in part to his ghost fork and a great cutter/fastball combination.
But I still don’t really know what to make of him as we head into 2025, even if he and the Mets have declared him healthy and ready to roll into the season.
One of the main reasons the Mets intend to employ a six-man rotation this season is because of Senga and his routine. The Mets masterfully handled Senga’s workload, rest, and recovery process during his rookie season in 2023 when he pitched to a 2.98 ERA over 29 starts that year. He had a 3.04 ERA in 17 starts when he had five days of rest, and a 2.45 ERA in nine starts when he had six or more days of rest. But in a regular cadence of four days’ rest, Senga allowed seven earned runs in 13.2 IP in three starts combined.
So obviously, the Mets want to maximize Senga, get the most out of him, keep him comfortable, and optimize his performance. I get it, and to be fair, a lot of clubs are moving in the six-man rotation direction, even if it’s a hybrid or an as-needed basis.
But then there was last year, when he threw the sum total of 5.1 IP in one start against the Braves mid-year. Before that start, he was out four months or so with a shoulder strain. During that start, he was electric, allowing just two runs with nine strikeouts over those 5.1 IP. But after he got that first out in the sixth inning, he pulled up lame with a calf strain and was cooked for the rest of the regular season.
He was then unfairly asked to essentially make rehab starts during the playoffs, during which he was simply unprepared to compete in a situation where they needed the best version of Senga, not the rehabbing version.
So, here we are again in spring training, and Senga is healthy and building up his stamina early in spring training. But while Mets manager Carlos Mendoza doesn’t want to peg Senga as the club’s ace, he is unquestionably the lynchpin or the X-factor for this entire rotation.
But there’s no way to really know what to expect from Senga after basically missing the entire 2024 season due to two significant injuries.
And, it’s hard to really pin the entire direction of the starting rotation on someone who hasn’t really pitched in a year and a half.
Again, I don’t want to poo-poo Senga here. He was incredible in 2023, and his stuff should play up in 2025, as long as he stays healthy and the Mets can manage his stamina and routine effectively again. He is projecting to be solid over 26 starts in 2025, per FanGraphs - his Steamer projections call for a 3.65 ERA with 175 strikeouts over 162 innings. If the Mets can get that out of him, I am sure they would be thrilled.
The question is, can they even get those 162 innings out of him?
We shall see.
Around the League 🚩
Jacob deGrom’s goal for 2025 is to make 30 starts - he has made a total of 47 starts since the 2020 season (MLB.com)
After undergoing back surgery last season, Christian Yelich says he is ready for Opening Day (MLB.com)
The Red Sox have not decided how they will deploy Alex Bregman this season (MassLive)
Shohei Ohtani - who has not pitched in a game since 2023 - threw his first bullpen session of the spring on Saturday (ESPN)
Don't think it was unfair to have Senga try to contribute in the playoffs. It's the playoffs, all hands on deck. It's ok to have question marks on your starting staff going into the season. But with the exception of Manea, all the Mets have are questions marks. If they flop, Stearns's decision not to pursue Burnes, Snell, or Fried won't look so smart.
Starting pitching. Going into Spring Training, the question is always starting pitching. It's the threshold key to success.
Which means we have a very exciting trip ahead of us. But if everyone can get to 160+ innings and a plus-.500 record with an ERA around 3.50, we're going to be some very happy Metsies. It's not hard to envision a 100-win team, even in the NL East.