3 NY Mets spring training battles we can already smell brewing

Peppermint, gingerbread, and egg nog are a few of the common smells you’ll experience this time of year. Freshly bloomed flowers? It may need to wait until New York Mets spring training is underway before the mere thought of daisies enters our minds.

Before we know it, spring training will arrive. We’re just a long January and a few weeks of February away from some actual baseball games being played. It’s amazing how much of the offseason is cut down when October includes meaningful baseball for your team.

There is plenty of offseason left to go. However, if you flare your nostrils and take a big whiff, you might smell these spring training battles already brewing.

1) Jose Siri vs. Tyrone Taylor

The biggest spring training battle where the loser gets a consolation prize of sticking around, Mets fans can already begin to ponder about who the starting center fielder will be in 2025. The team has Tyrone Taylor left from last year. They added Jose Siri in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays.

This isn’t an easy platoon situation with both hitting right-handed. Siri is the boom or bust type of offensive player with superior speed and defensive skills. Taylor is more down the middle. You kind of know what you’ll get from him.

Both players will be on the Opening Day roster. Picking a starter may take longer than a couple of exhibition games in St. Lucie. It should be a fluid situation.

On one hand, Siri makes sense to start because if he’s going to hit once every five at-bats, you want to make the most of those opportunities. Get the most innings from him you can defensively in center field. On the other hand, Taylor proved he can handle a starting spot in center field last year for the Mets. Reverse splits for much of the year as well, a continued trend of hitting righties well might help Carlos Mendoza further decide between which player gets the bulk of the starts.

Conclusion: Too close to call. Let’s see them play a little first.