An unspoken NY Mets roster battle that hasn’t even started

You’ll need an abacus to count the number of rebound candidates or guys trying to learn something new on the New York Mets roster this year. One not getting much attention at all is lefty Bryan Hudson. Acquired via trade with the Chicago White Sox, he’s the believed favorite to replace A.J. Minter on the roster until the star lefty returns from the IL.

Hudson doesn’t have the resume to guarantee much. He arrived to the Milwaukee Brewers with less than 10 innings of MLB experience in 2024. He went on to pitch to a 1.73 ERA with a strikeout per inning and 2.5 BB/9. Just 4 hits per 9 as well, he seemed like one of the greatest heists from the Los Angeles Dodgers the Brewers could have ever imagined.

A possible flash in the pan, he completely lost his control in 2025 with 10.5 BB/9 over his 10.1 innings. Waived then picked up by the Chicago White Sox, Hudson joins the Mets as one guy with nothing and everything to lose. The same applies for a guy he could be battling with for a roster spot this spring, Craig Kimbrel.

Bryan Hudson vs. Craig Kimbrel is an unspoken Mets roster battle

Sent to the Mets for cash considerations, Hudson should have a chip on his shoulder. He wasn’t good with the White Sox either after they picked him up. A longtime Chicago Cubs farmhand who ended up being released before ever making it to the majors with them, Hudson is somewhat familiar with the situation he’s in.

The difference now is he’s on a contender with a roster spot that’s his to lose. He can make things complicated for the Mets by pitching well. What happens when Minter is coming back in May and Hudson is sitting with a sub-2.00 ERA like he had in 2024?

The unknown injuries that’ll strike the Mets by then will carry heavy weight as to what they decide to do with certain players like him. He may need to be absolutely unhittable in order to stick around. They DFA’d Genesis Cabrera last year with a 3.52 ERA after 6 appearances and decided to, instead, use Jose Castillo. The circumstances were in part because they needed fresh arms. A lack of roster flexibility, in part because they may need to carry six starting pitchers, will factor into how much leash Hudson gets.

Then there’s Kimbrel. Destined for the Hall of Fame (or 10 years of coming up short on the ballot), he’s on what could be the last thread of his entire career. Hudson can bounce around for another few seasons. Kimbrel will have to call it quits if things don’t work out in 2026.

Hudson is the obvious Minter replacement based solely on the left-handedness. What about Kimbrel? There is no clearance to make the room unless the team demotes Huascar Brazoban, which isn’t out of the question. Doing so eliminates that free roster spot to regularly shuffle players back and forth from the minors. This puts Hudson and Kimbrel on immediate notice to perform well. The Mets, with those six starters, will need to count on their relievers for much more than a ball club with 8 bullpen spots rather than 7.

Nearly two weeks into Mets spring training, Hudson has yet to debut for the Mets. Kimbrel has pitched 2 innings and given up as many runs (one appearance vs. Team Nicaragua) without great results.