3 Mets players who will make the Opening Day roster but not last the season

2) Jorge Lopez

Another reliever who will begin the year on the Opening Day roster but won't last the season is Jorge Lopez. Hot take? Perhaps. But it really shouldn't be.

The Mets signed Lopez to a one-year deal worth $2 million. This is nothing more than a massive gamble hoping this right-hander shows signs of the pitcher he was in the first half of the 2022 season. Out of nowhere, Lopez broke out for the Orioles, taking over as their closer and posting a 1.62 ERA in 40 appearances. He was an all-star for the Orioles and helped them stay afloat in the playoff race but was flipped at the deadline to the Twins.

Immediately after that trade, things went downhill for the now 30-year-old. Lopez struggled for Minnesota down the stretch, and pitched even worse for them this season before being traded at the end of July to the Marlins despite the Twins being in the playoff race. Lopez had an ERA over 9.00 for Miami in 12 appearances before being DFA'd and claimed by the Orioles to finish out the year. He struggled there too and was DFA'd right before the postseason.

Taking a chance on Lopez to see if he can recapture his 2022 first half form is fine, but it's hard to expect that to happen when he's been bad throughout the rest of his eight-year career. Lopez has a career 5.51 ERA in 230 appearances. A lot of that has to do with his struggles beginning his career as a starting pitcher, but he still has an ERA well over 4.00 in relief throughout his career, and that's even with the outstanding 2022 first half.

I'd love nothing more than for Lopez to be a dominant reliever for the Mets. He certainly has the stuff to be that guy. Unfortunately, the body of work suggests he's more likely to not even last the year than he is to come close to being as good as he was that one time.