The Metropolitan: Last relievers standing
Who will win the final bullpen spots? Plus, all the day’s news
Good Morning,
Today we’ll talk about the competition for the two remaining roles in the Mets’ bullpen. But we start with the news.
⏰ Catch me up in 60(ish) seconds…
DAYS UNTIL OPENING DAY: 6
🎰 OPTIMISM: Appearing on WFAN yesterday, MLB insider Jon Heyman says the chances of the Mets reaching a deal with Francisco Lindor before Opening Day are “better than 50/50.” He later tweeted there is “a bit of optimism” and the deal would be for over $300 million.
💰BIG SPENDERS: As the soft deadline approaches for the Mets to extend Lindor and/or Michael Conforto before the season starts, Sandy Alderson said in an interview with Newsday that the team has the resources to spend.
ALDERSON: “We have plenty of capacity. Whether that flexibility is exercised later this month or next year, we don’t know. But always having options and maintaining that flexibility is important.”
LOSSES: While the Amazins’ “capacity” obviously comes from their new owner, a report from Sportico this morning indicates the Mets, along with the Yankees and Dodgers, had estimated operating losses of more than $100 million last season. Overall MLB revenue dropped $7 billion due to the pandemic.
✂️ CUT: The Mets announced on Thursday that they have released RHP Tommy Hunter who signed a split-contract over the offseason. The Mets had until Saturday to add him to their 40-man roster or he could request his release. The veteran pitcher appeared in 5 games this spring, pitching to a 3.60 ERA.
♞ DARK KNIGHT: Former Met Matt Harvey will make a comeback effort with the Baltimore Orioles after they selected his contract for $1 million on Thursday. Despite his recent troubles on the field, he maintains the same swagger: “I’m not trying to be as good as I was,” Harvey said. “I’m trying to be better.”
🗓 OFF DAY: It’s a slow news day as the team took Thursday completely off. They will continue their Grapefruit League schedule this evening against the Nationals (on SNY at 6:10 PM ET) with David Peterson on the bump.
📚 March 26, 1987: Dwight Gooden tests positive for cocaine use. He is suspended and enters rehab at Smithers Alcoholism and Treatment Center. He does not make his season debut until June 5.
Gaming out the Opening Day bullpen
🧓 by Jeffrey Bellone
A point will come during the early part of the season, maybe in April, when the Mets will make what at the time will seem like an inconsequential roster decision: sending a player down to the minors and calling another one up to the big club. I mention this as a reminder that as much as we belabor the decision in front of the Mets on who they will take North with them from Florida, it’s sort of like debating the outfit you will wear on the first day of school: it only matters because it’s the first day.
While there are a few players who face contract deadlines this week — we talked about Tommy Hunter earlier, and Mike Montgomery has a similar opt-out situation if he doesn’t make the team by Sunday — the Mets can easily adjust their roster as the season progresses.
But since Opening Day is less than one week away, let’s go through the process of breaking down who will initially fill out their bullpen.
It turns out we have a pretty good idea already. Edwin Díaz will close, the trio of Trevor May, Miguel Castro, and Aaron Loup will set up for him. And while many fans want to wish them away, both Jeurys Familia and Dellin Betances will take up two bullpen seats and hopefully pitch better than their recent records.
Assuming the Mets use 13 pitchers — due to special COVID protocols, there is no longer a limit on the number of arms they can carry — that leaves two open spots.
But before we break down the candidates, it’s important to understand a few roster rules:
A player must be on the 40-man roster in order to make the 26-man active roster.
And if a player is on the 40-man roster and sent to the minors for more than 20 days, they lose one of their options (assuming they still have any). Players who have more than five years of experience or are out of options must pass through waivers before being sent to the minors.
The Mets have some flexibility with their injured players. Flamethrower Noah Syndergaard is on the 60-day Injured List (IL), freeing a 40-man roster spot even though he is technically still on the roster. They could do the same with José Martínez to create another roster opening. The problem with this approach is that it only creates a temporary spot, kicking the can down the road until Syndergaard and/or Martínez are healthy.
Ok, ok, enough with the boring roster mechanics. Who is going to fill out the back of the Mets’ bullpen? Let’s review the currently existing candidates.
Jacob Barnes
This is an “easy” choice. He is out of options. So the Mets would risk losing him if he doesn’t make their active roster. And after a rough first outing this spring, he hasn’t allowed an earned run in his past four appearances, recording six of his last nine outs via strikeout.
The team also seems invested in maximizing his stuff, as Tim Britton recently explained:
If Barnes does excel with his new style, it’s a win for [pitching coach Jeremy] Hefner. The Mets have not been an organization considered at the forefront of analytics and player development. Yet here was the veteran Barnes engaging with information he hadn’t been told about before. When New York hired Hefner as its pitching coach, it lauded his abilities as a communicator, as a conduit who could make more advanced analytical concepts digestible for players. That’s exactly what he’s been for Barnes.
Mike Montgomery
This is a more complicated decision. Montgomery is a non-roster invitee, so he would need to be added to the 40-man roster before he can make the big league club. However, he checks off some key boxes: he is left-handed and he can start games.
The Amazins have already suffered from the injury bug this offseason with both Carlos Carrasco and Seth Lugo feeding into the “typical Mets” injury narrative. In a season when starting pitching depth might be needed more than ever, Montgomery carries extra value.
Other Candidates
Both Drew Smith (shoulder soreness) and Arodys Vizcaino (elbow soreness) would be strong candidates if they weren’t hurt.
Robert Gsellman has experience and offers versatility in his role, but he is optionable.
If you’re stuck on adding another lefty, Stephen Tarpley is someone to consider. He has options remaining, but is already on the 40-man roster, so it would be easier for the Mets to bring him to New York than it would be for someone like Montgomery.
Of course, former Met and southpaw Jerry Blevins is another option from the non-roster invitee list. The 37-year-old fan favorite has pitched fairly well this spring, but has struggled with his command at times, and would require a corresponding move to make the roster.
Finally, Jerad Eickhoff would provide starting depth and is also out of options, but his spring numbers (11.25 ERA over two games) would look better if he was trying out for the Knicks.
So who will it be?
While I was a kid who actually did spend too much time thinking about what I would wear on the first day (odd, I know), this decision is pretty straight-forward to me: Jacob Barnes and Mike Montgomery are the strongest candidates to fill out the bullpen. While it’s a temporary solution, I could see the Mets moving Martínez to the 60-Day IL for Montgomery. You never know what happens over the next few months (injuries, other transactions, etc), so they can afford to delay a 40-man roster decision until they have a clearer picture of whom they are willing to expose.
⚾️ Former Met and current Angel Juan Lagares hit a 452-foot, 112.4 MPH bomb off Rockies LHP Austin Gomber.
⚾️ Tampa Bay Rays reliever Nick Anderson has a partial tear of elbow ligament and will likely be out past the All-Star break, although no surgery is recommended, per Marc Topkin.
⚾️ White Sox GM Rick Hahn announced OF Eloy Jimenez has suffered a rupture of his left pectoral tendon, which will sideline him for 5-6 months.
⚾️ Left-handed pitcher and long-time Mets killer Gio González has retired after 13 major league seasons.
⚾️ Similar to the Mets’ situation with Lindor, Astros shortstop Carlos Correa says he will “absolutely not” lift his opening day deadline for a contract extension.
⚾️ The Astros released sidearm reliever RHP Steve Cishek in a cost-saving move, per Jake Kaplan, presenting a new last-minute bullpen option for teams in need.
🔗 Why the Mets lineup can be ‘holy crap’ terrifying, by Joel Sherman, NY Post: “Jeff McNeil is hitting sixth. Do you know how good your freaking lineup is when Jeff McNeil is hitting sixth?” The quote is from a top NL executive when asked a simple question: What do you like about this Mets team? The executive added: “They were hard to pitch to last year, and they just replaced [Amed] Rosario and [Wilson] Ramos with [Francisco] Lindor and [James] McCann.” The executive offered two other words: “Holy crap!”
🔗 Marcus Stroman Talks Baseball, Life, and Everything In-Between, by Rob Piersall, MetsMerized Online: “I try to put myself alongside deGrom whenever. Lowkey, me and deGrom have a very cool, awesome relationship. Whenever I want to ask him, he’s always open and vice versa. I’m always watching his bullpens and he comes out to watch mine. It’s cool to have that in your back pocket, because I’m always trying to learn.”
🔗 Crow-Armstrong savors 'unexpected' chance, by Michael Avallone, MLB.com: “A teenager participating in spring workouts isn't unique, but Crow-Armstrong's case is a bit different. Such is life in a pandemic-plagued world that wiped out the 2020 Minor League season and with it, the opportunity for the Mets' No. 5 prospect to make his professional debut. Instead, Crow-Armstrong earned a non-roster invite to Spring Training where he found himself alongside All-Stars Jacob deGrom, Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor. All before ever seeing a single pitch as a pro.”
🔗 Dave Eiland tip led to Jacob deGrom’s Mets star turn, by Mike Puma, NY Post: “As camp began that spring, Dave Eiland, then the new Mets pitching coach, spoke with deGrom and delivered a message that resonated with the right-hander as he strived toward improvement: Don’t overcomplicate things. DeGrom cited those conversations with Eiland (who remained as Mets pitching coach until June 2019) early this spring when asked about the similar advice deGrom had provided to the organization’s top pitching prospect, Matt Allan, who shadowed him in camp this year.”
And we leave you with J.D. Davis and Dom Smith discussing Opening Day on the latest episode of The Cookie Club…
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