3 Mets players who won’t be on the roster by May 1

We’re now through a good chunk of April which means it’s time to start your taxes. What are you doing? They’re due in less than a week! The New York Mets have shown their best and worst to us. Several players already appear destined to not make it through the season.

By the time we get to May 1, these three players look like the team will have moved on from them in some capacity. Who’ll be gone by the time the calendar flips?

1) NY Mets reliever Dennis Santana will be gone by May 1

Dennis Santana was a late offseason waiver claim for the Mets whose early returns haven’t been so good. Through 5.1 innings of work he has surrendered a pair of home runs and a total of 5 earned runs while walking, get this, 5! Somewhere Nomar Garciaparra is freaking out over these numbers and loving every second of it.

There were definitely some doubts about Santana heading into this year. Now 27 (happy birthday dude) his 8.44 ERA shouldn’t surprise anyone. He’s coming off of a 5.22 ERA performance with the Texas Rangers in 2022. He’s a younger reliever already out of options with plenty of control issues.

Santana has been an imperfect fit for the Mets from the start of the season. Billy Eppler swung for the fences by claiming him. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like he’ll be a long-term option for the ball club. The sample size may be small but what purpose does he serve if all he can do is help the other club?

The big problem for Santana is the Mets don’t have too many relievers they can send down to the minors. He’ll become a casualty due, in part, to poor management of the roster and rules of the game.

The team can afford a little more patience with him. Compared to Stephen Nogosek who is another non-optional reliever who began the year on the bubble, it’s an easy choice. Santana will be back on waivers soon enough.

3) NY Mets starting pitcher David Peterson will not be on the roster by May 1

Here’s a big change of plans for the Mets. Rather than demote Tylor Megill when Justin Verlander comes back, it’s trending toward David Peterson becoming the guy who goes to the farm. He’s 0-2 with a 4.91 ERA after three starts. The numbers look worse than he has been. His two “good” outings include 5 innings of 1 run ball followed by 5.2 frames of 2 run ball. Mixed in between is the beating he took against the Milwaukee Brewers when he exited after 4 with 5 runs across.

It’s easy to see why the Mets would pick Megill over Peterson at this point. Megill takes the mound versus the San Diego Padres on Wednesday. Another terrific performance from him and the eventual decision becomes even clearer. However, a bad performance from him will allow the battle to continue between these two.

Verlander is expected to return from the IL before May 1. The only other option the team could do, if everyone is healthy, would be to move Carlos Carrasco to the bullpen. I feel like that’s a premature decision based on the way Eppler behaves. If Peterson was pitching well, he might reconsider.

In order for this to happen we do need to get through the end of the month with all Mets starting intact. The team already was forced into beginning the year without Verlander and Jose Quintana. While Peterson may be gone before May 1, he’ll be right back again the moment someone’s back starts acting up.