The excitement of seeing baseball again

Morning Dose: Monday, February 24

☀️ Good Morning:

It didn’t take long. It never does.

Sitting on my couch on Saturday, ice-glossed snow still on the ground outside of my window, but the sun shining bright on my TV, I was ready to declare the 2025 Mets as the next world champions after the first inning.

And how could you not?

After watching Clay Holmes mow down the Astros in order? Forget who was in the lineup, it’s clear Holmes is going to be the steal of the offseason and prove David Stearns is a genius for turning him into a starter.

After watching Juan Soto hit a home run in his first freaking at bat?! I mean, are you kidding me?

Even those new 80s-inspired blue jerseys looked pretty darn good.

Yeah, it didn’t take long to feel good about baseball being back this weekend.

That’s what sports fandom is all about. It’s putting the SNY theme music back into your ear, a healthy-looking Gary Cohen front and center on your TV, flanked by Keith and Ron, and taking those subtle hints of a new season and turning them into eternal hope.

We are still 31 days away from Opening Day. A lot can happen between now and then to sour excitement. But the past two days felt good.

☕️ Grab your coffee for your morning dose of Mets Fix!

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🍎 Is it OMG time again?

When news broke that Nick Madrigal had separated his left shoulder, or even before then, when he initially injured himself awkwardly charging a deflected ball in the first inning of Sunday’s split-squad game, Mets fans were ready to ask, is it OMG time again?

Signed to a split-contract in late January, Madrigal was set to play the role of depth middle infielder that Jose Iglesias so wonderfully owned last season.

With Madrigal clearly headed towards a long recovery, could it open the door for a return of Candelita?

Not so fast. The only path I see for Iglesias to return to the Mets at this time would be on a minor-league deal or if another injury were to occur to the middle of the infield.

• Options. It comes down to options. Madrigal had a minor-league option remaining, allowing the Mets to shuttle him between Syracuse and New York as needed. Iglesias would have to be guaranteed an active roster spot on a major-league contract.

• Flexibility. For a Mets team hoping to eventually give elevation to a core of young players that includes Luisangel Acuña, Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio, they need roster flexibility. While each of those players benefit from seeing regular reps, at some point, finding plate appearances as a super utility player might be the only path for allowing proper progression.

Who makes the Opening Day roster? We will wait for Madrigal’s MRI results to see how long he is sidelined, but assuming he cannot play by late March, his injury opens the door for Acuña to play a super-utility role similar to the one he played late last season. While Baty might seem like the most deserving candidate, the Mets need a bench piece who can play second base and occasionally shortstop.

• 2025 Bench: There are three locks to make manager Carlos Mendoza’s bench to start the season: Tyrone Taylor, Luis Torrens, Starling Marte (platooning at DH with Jesse Winker). That leaves one spot and an obvious gap for middle infield depth.

• Organizational depth: Looking beyond the players on the cusp of the active roster, the Amazins invited Donovan Walton and Luis De Los Santos to camp as non-roster invitees.