What to do with Starling Marte?
The outfielder's overall health and availability is starting to become a real issue. Plus, Paul Blackburn impresses in his first outing of spring...
What’s up with the Mets? 🌴
The Mets dropped their forth spring training game in a row, losing to the Marlins 4-1 on Wednesday (box)
RHP Paul Blackburn made his spring debut in the loss, retiring all three batters he faced in a perfect inning with one strikeout
LHP Génesis Cabrera also tossed a perfect inning, striking out a pair of hitters in the process
OF Juan Soto finished his short outing with a walk after using the ABS system to correctly challenge a ball that had been called a strike
1B Pete Alonso drove in the only run of the game for the Mets with an RBI double in the top of the sixth inning
In total, the Mets recorded just five hits all game with DH Chris Williams and 2B Jeff McNeil also hitting doubles
Luisangel Acuña entered the game in the sixth inning and made his first professional appearance at third base, quickly catching a foul pop out for the first out with two runners already on base
RHP Kodai Senga revealed that he expects to make his first spring training start next week (NY Post)
The Mets’ Grapefruit League opener last Saturday was the most watched spring training game ever on SNY, with a whopping 189,021 viewers tuning in
Injury Updates 🏥
OF Starling Marte (knee soreness) will begin live batting practice on the back fields in March
OF Brandon Nimmo (plantar fasciitis) is expected to make his spring training debut soon
RHP Dedniel Núñez (strained flexor tendon) is being ramped up slowly and won’t appear in any spring training games anytime soon
Today’s Game 🗓️
Match-up: Mets (1-4) vs. Astros (3-2)
Where: Clover Park, Port St. Lucie, FL
Starters: RHP Clay Holmes (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. LHP Colton Gordon (0-1, 13.50 ERA)
When: 1:10 PM EST
Is now the time for life without Starling Marte? ✍️
Against the backdrop of a spring training loss to the Marlins on Wednesday afternoon, the Mets received some not-so-great news on the injury front.
Starling Marte, who is still dealing with knee soreness stemming from last season, won’t take live batting practice until March. And even then, it will be on the back fields.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said that Marte is having “some good days, some not so good,” and is still trying to strike the perfect balance of progressing, but of also not doing too much too soon.
So, when reading between the lines of Mendoza’s comments, it is fair to assume that Marte’s spring training ramp-up is going a lot slower than everyone expected.
The most concerning development is the fact that Marte has now been dealing with the same knee soreness for almost a year now. It ensured that the veteran played in less than 100 games in 2024, and it now seems fair to ask if he will be ready for Opening Day.
And given that Marte has struggled with staying on the field throughout his time in Queens - he’s played in more than 100 games just once in three seasons - it is probably wise to be realistic about just how much we should expect from the outfielder in 2025.
So, with that said, is it getting near time for the Mets to cut their losses and move on from Marte for the betterment of the team?
It is worth noting that the front office did explore the possibility of trying to trade Marte this offseason, and the organization was even willing to eat a substantial chunk of the $19.5 million he is owed this year. However, there were no takers then, and that is unlikely to change anytime soon given that Marte hasn’t even been able to take BP yet.
The Mets could still try and trade Marte before opening day, but his lingering knee injury would be a red flag for any potential suitor, even if the Mets were to eat the bulk of his remaining salary.
It does seem we are edging ever closer to the team having to do something to move on from Marte, even if it means just taking the hit and designating Marte for assignment and having to eat all of the $19.5 million. That might not be the likeliest outcome, especially if the Mets don’t have anything to lose at that point if they simply place him on the injured list to start the season to free up a roster spot. But the possibility of that happening will increase as the season rolls on and if the Mets continue to struggle to find a taker. One of the many benefits of having Steve Cohen as an owner is that the Mets could afford to eat the remaining dollars on Marte’s contract.
As was the case when the team DFA’d Robinson Canó, making the hard call on Marte’s future would be strictly a baseball decision. And moving on from a 36-year-old outfielder who keeps on breaking down would be the best baseball call for the Mets.
Granted, Marte will only be a bit-part player in 2025 anyway as a backup outfielder in right to Juan Soto. But, Marte is also projected to be part of a platoon at DH, a position the Mets have really struggled to get production from in recent years. A hurt veteran who has seen his skills and physical attributes diminish will hardly help to solve that problem.
Instead, by moving on from Marte, the Mets could look to platoon one of the organization’s younger players like Brett Baty or Luisangel Acuña at DH with Jesse Winker. Ronny Mauricio could be another option when he’s ready.
Another way to go could be to bring in another veteran to help add some depth to that lineup. I still stand by the notion that the Mets still need another big-ish bat on the bench, even with Pete Alonso back in Queens. Could bringing back J.D. Martinez on a team-friendly one-year deal work? How about Matt Carpenter? Both players would pair well with Winker as part of a DH platoon, and they would also act as an important insurance policy if the likes of Baty, Acuña, and Mauricio fail to stick in the big leagues.
An important caveat to add here is that bringing in another veteran would go against the roster flexibility policy that the front office is trying to enforce in 2025, and any new money they take on is subject to the 110 percent tax penalty.
However, with that said, there is no guarantee that Baty, Acuña, or Mauricio will provide consistent production in 2025. If the Mets really want to compete for the World Series this year, having a reliable and productive platoon at DH is a must. I don’t think you can rely on the younger players for that yet, and I don’t think you can rely on Marte, either.
No matter how you slice it, Marte’s health continues to be a major concern, and his incredibly slow ramp-up in spring training is hardly an encouraging sign. Having played in just 96 games in 2024 and in 86 games the year prior, you just can’t trust Marte to stay healthy for an entire year. And you don’t want his lack of availability to start hurting this team.
The Mets are in the winning business right now. Therefore, they must make decisions that are best for the entire team, no matter how ruthless they may appear to be. As such, moving on from Marte and opening up an opportunity for somebody else to come in and provide production at DH - be it internally or externally - may be the best path forward for this team.
Around the League 🚩
Sammy Sosa was in Cubs camp and in full uniform for the first time in 20 years on Wednesday
Mike Trout hit his first home run of spring training for the Angels - and his first homer in game action since April of last year
Shohei Ohtani is expected to make his spring training debut for the Dodgers as a DH against the Angels on Friday night
Elly De La Cruz continued his hot start to spring with another home run, two RBIs and one run scored as the Reds beat the Angels, 9-4
Corbin Carroll hit a second inning grand slam to help the Diamondbacks beat the Brewers, 7-1
Marte is chiseled...but from glass, unfortunately. He might be the poster child for the risk of signing 30 plus y.o. players to even medium term deals.
To be fair, take a look at his ops last season against lefties: .844! Where are you going to get that kind of performance? Anything close to that and Marte with Winker would make an excellent DH platoon. I say we exercise some patience with him.