3. Concern over Danny Young's performance
This was an opportunity for Young to build some confidence against a minor-league Astros squad, and he failed to deliver. Of all the pitchers expected to be on the Opening Day roster, Young delivered the roughest performance. In just one inning pitched on Saturday, Danny Young finished with one earned run off an RBI double and a hit batter. If AJ Minter is unable to make the Opening Day roster recovering from hip surgery, the Mets will need Young to serve as their high-leverage left-handed reliever in the meantime.
The Mets will need to figure something out before the start of the season if Young continues to show he is not a high leverage reliever. The only other option instead of Young at this point would be if 34-year-old lefty Anthony Goes has a good spring and makes the roster. But as of now, the Mets will be relying on Danny to pitch in big spots to start the season if Minter misses time. While that might be scary after the first day's performance, there is so much time left for Young to build confidence.
It's only one game of several more to come before things really begin to matter. Already, it feels like a few events are hinting at what we have in store for 2025.