3) Grant Hartwig
There’s an ever-evolving spot on the Mets roster currently held by recently promoted reliever Grant Hartwig. The turnover in the bullpen has been massive of late. It included DFAs and trades of Michael Tonkin and Yohan Ramirez to clear two spots. One seems to be held steadily by Reed Garrett whose role has become to work as the long man. The other, now held by Hartwig, is the first they’ll be likely to rotate through.
Hartwig was only recalled on Sunday with the Mets demoting Tyler Jay and Cole Sulser. Jose Butto took the other roster spot. With the way Butto has pitched and the fact that he’s a starter plus with no sign of Tylor Megill coming back, his roster spot seems more than safe. Hartwig, on the other hand, will probably see some time back in Syracuse by the time we get to May.
The Mets used Hartwig a ton last year, handing him 28 opportunities totaling 35.1 innings. Good at times, he still finished with an undesirable 4.84 ERA. For an undrafted rookie, we’ll take it.
Hartwig is in no danger of losing his 40-man roster spot at the moment. From what we’ve seen out of David Stearns, he’s willing to offer a leash to players the club can demote. One player we should keep an eye on to replace Hartwig is Sean Reid-Foley. The out of options reliever is on a rehab assignment and will very likely take a spot in the Mets bullpen when healthy.
As for Hartwig, he’ll familiarize himself with the drive from Syracuse to Queens in 2024.