New York Mets early season winner: Reed Garrett
Where would the Mets be without Reed Garrett being one of the most dominant relievers in the league? He is 5-0.. that's not a typo... his five wins are tied for the most in the majors of anybody (including starters), with a dazzling 0.61 ERA in 14.2 innings pitched with 27 strikeouts. But, more importantly, he's been the guy that's given the Mets multiple innings in critical situations when their starters couldn't go deep into games. The most recent example was Sunday's pulsating 11-inning victory against St. Louis, where he gave up just one unearned run in the 10th and 11th innings.
Garrett was not on the Opening Day roster, but he stamped himself as a critical piece for the Mets for the rest of the season and will be asked to go multiple innings on several occasions, taking on the role Michael Tonkin was supposed to play. Garrett is the biggest reason the Mets have the best bullpen ERA in the National League.
New York Mets early season loser: DJ Stewart
Yes, DJ Stewart has a .814 OPS. But he is also hitting just .204 and has been an all-or-nothing player with the Mets, and it's been more of nothing this season. But with Mark Vientos having a nice couple of days back in the big leagues (including a walk-off home run on Sunday), it is easy to wonder if Stewart's days as a Met are numbered earlier than he thought.
If they want to give Vientos more at-bats in the majors with an eye towards the future, it would set up a fun and interesting discourse as to who the Mets third baseman of the future should be. Ultimately, Stewart may be the odd man out with a forward-thinking front office in charge.