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

By Tim Boyle

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 27: Pitcher Tyler Bashlor #49 of the New York Mets looks on after giving up a solo homerun to Chris Taylor #3 of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the sixth inning of the MLB game at Dodger Stadium on May 27, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 27: Pitcher Tyler Bashlor #49 of the New York Mets looks on after giving up a solo homerun to Chris Taylor #3 of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the sixth inning of the MLB game at Dodger Stadium on May 27, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 20: Pitcher Paul Sewald #51 of the New York Mets pitches in relief in an interleague MLB baseball game against the Cleveland Indians on August 20, 2018 at Citi Field in the Queens borough of New York City. Mets won 9-2. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images) /

Paul Sewald

I was actually kind of happy for Paul Sewald when he won a game for the Mets in 2019. After going 0-6 in 2017 and 0-7 in 2018, he seemed destined to become this franchise’s next Anthony Young only spread out over more seasons.

Sewald has seen more life and big league action than Bashlor and Rhame. He’ll turn 30 this year and has already tossed 141.1 innings for the Mets. In addition to his now 1-14 career record out of the bullpen, he owns a 5.16 ERA.

In his most recent tour through the major leagues, Sewald did look a little better. Be forewarned, his 2019 numbers only include 19.2 innings of work. So while the strikeout numbers were up and the walk rate was terrific, I’m not sure over the span of a longer period he’d be able to maintain this.

Sewald is a clear minor league graduate. Looking back at his numbers, he was a successful closer on the farm. It’s a little hard to believe considering what we have witnessed at the major league level.

Easily the biggest disadvantage Sewald has over the other two men on this list is his age. There’s little chance he blooms into the next Seth Lugo. More likely, he’s the next Drew Gagnon, Chris Mazza, Tim Peterson, or anyone else who has been designated for assignment over the past few seasons after bouncing up and down between the major and minor leagues.

There’s going to come a point this year, possibly even in spring, when the Mets realize Sewald doesn’t have a place with the franchise. An advantage of giving him the DFA treatment over others is his age may help keep him within the organization. Except for Mrs. Sewald, there isn’t much demand for him. Designating Sewald for assignment doesn’t have to be the end of his tenure with the organization.

Next. Mets will need to overcome their poor defense

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