NY Mets Monday Morning GM: 3 roster moves we’re trending toward seeing by May 1

The New York Mets haven’t even played two weeks of regular season baseball and already there are some strong takeaways from the season. Anything you want to think about this team is premature. There’s practically a whole season ahead for things to reverse for better or worse.

After 10 games, nothing is conclusive. However, the team is trending toward making these three roster moves by the time we get to May 1.

Three roster moves we could see before May 1

1) Carson Benge demoted

If the Mets were bold enough to award Carson Benge with an Opening Day roster spot, they’re not going to pull the plug on him quickly and demote him to the minors. He deserves a full month of opportunities. Unfortunately, it’s going to take significantly better production for the rest of April to justify keeping him around.

Although the Mets have bodies available to replace him, there’s a case to make that none are better. MJ Melendez has an obvious ceiling. Cristian Pache was a spring training hero who hasn’t done much in the majors in the past. Current uncertainty with Juan Soto’s health will buy Benge additional time and opportunities in the starting lineup. With Jared Young playing well, the Mets could always consider adding a utility player type/speedster to give them a little more versatility. No one should be yelling about backtracking on Benge yet. The trend for a demotion, on the other hand, cannot be denied.

2) Richard Lovelady DFA’d

How else was this going to play out? Richard Lovelady was brought back on waivers for the purpose of being DFA’d. His roster spot was always temporary with the idea that he’d be a second lefty in place of A.J. Minter until the high-leverage southpaw returned from the IL.

So far, the Mets haven’t really used Lovelady often enough in those opportunities. He’s mopping up. It doesn’t matter much who they replace him with. Austin Warren is probably the best candidate currently in Triple-A. Don’t discount the Mets, instead, replacing Lovelady with someone else’s DFA’d southpaw. And after they do DFA him, expect to see him once, twice, or thrice more.

3) David Peterson moved to the bullpen

David Peterson didn’t allow a run in his first appearance, but he didn’t pitch all that well. He got lit up in start number two. Starting game two of the season had little to do with his actual place within the Mets rotation. He’s not their second best starting pitcher. In fact, he could be in a tie for fifth place or worse.

The better Sean Manaea pitches and the more length he can give the Mets, the more likely it is we see them swap the lefties. The leash should tighten on Peterson. If he can’t give them significant innings, he’s no better than Manaea. By the time we get to May 1, flipping them could feel like the right choice.