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The battles really begin this Saturday when the New York Mets play their first spring training game. It feels like more than some recent past years there are some non-roster invitees who can make it onto the roster.
Excluding Carson Benge who is a camp invite but less of a traditional one because of his prospect status, there are three other important players to watch. How can they make their presence known and find a way to waltz onto the Opening Day roster?
1) Craig Kimbrel can prove to everyone he still has some mustard left
Craig Kimbrel is by far the most notable non-roster invite in Mets camp. The 37-year-old is coming off of a year where he only pitched a dozen big league innings and showed there are condiments left. How much mustard remains?
It’s a no-lose situation for the Mets who aren’t paying Kimbrel a lot of money if he makes the team. A quick burnout and they can easily replace him with any number of guys. Most Opening Day roster predictions seem to have Kimbrel winning a job. Experience alone should give him an advantage over some of the other options in camp.
A strong spring is obvious. Kimbrel will also need to prove he has the signs of being an effective arm in the regular season. His velocity is fading, but that doesn’t mean he can’t evolve.
Maybe the only person who can realistically bump Kimbrel out of an Opening Day roster spot would be the other intriguing non-roster invitee, Adbert Alzolay. Until Kimbrel arrived, he seemed like the surest bet to sneak his way onto the Opening Day roster. Because Alzolay is coming off of Tommy John surgery and doesn’t have any known opt-outs in his contract, we can expect him to begin the year in Syracuse and Kimbrel make the team.
The Mets have a lot of competition in camp this spring for a bullpen spot. Frankly, one of those vacancies is Kimbrel’s to lose.