Mets 40-man roster: Three guys who could lose a spot before Opening Day

Don’t put the current New York Mets 40-man roster in ink just yet. Because it is so pitching-heavy, we could see some men fall from it before Opening Day.

The current New York Mets 40-man roster is heavy on pitching and much lighter on pitching. There are only two position players on it who have yet to appear in the big leagues, catching prospect Ali Sanchez and shortstop Andres Gimenez.

Everyone else known for wielding a bat has familiarized themselves with Major League Baseball in the past. I expect some changes by Opening Day with a little more balance.

This means the Mets are likely to designate at least a pitcher or two for assignment to clear a roster spot for another bat. While there’s no urgency to do something like this in the spring, someone may snatch up a bigger role with the organization.

Often, it’s a numbers game. And these three pitchers may lose their 40-man roster spot before the year even begins because of it.

Tyler Bashlor

From the cavalcade of relievers we’ve seen sent up and down from Triple-A over the last two or three years, Tyler Bashlor is one there’s still a little optimism around. He’ll pitch this year at age 27, with a lifetime ERA of 5.33.

While this may strike most of us as an ugly number, he did hold down a 4.22 ERA in 32 innings back in 2018. Walks absolutely destroyed him in 22 big league innings last year with 17 of them in the limited action he did see.

Bashlor is on the doorstep to Major League Baseball. He has pitched well enough at the minor league level to deserve a look but has yet to do enough to stay in Queens.

This year may be a make or break campaign for Bashlor. Unless he’s able to show the Mets some early signs that he has yet to reach his ceiling, it’s possible he becomes the next victim of a roster crunch.