3 Mets players on the 40-man roster in danger of not making it to Opening Day

3) Mets reliever Stephen Nogosek is out of minor league options

Stephen Nogosek pitched very well for the Mets last season in the opportunity he got. The 2.45 ERA in 22 innings of work was refreshing for a ball club that hasn’t recently developed any reliable relievers. Nogosek has been someone the Mets have released before, but the two sides liked each other enough for a reunion.

His time with the ball club began in 2017 through the Addison Reed trade to the Boston Red Sox. Salvaging something from that deal, even the last reliever in the bullpen, would be a nice little reward.

Nogosek’s biggest problem is that he is out of minor league options. It’s hard to envision a scenario where he gets promoted and manages to stay on the 26-man roster all season. He is already on the 40-man roster bubble from the moment he does get promoted. Do the Mets bother keeping him with this knowledge?

New York has a few non-roster invitees to spring training including Tommy Hunter, Jimmy Yacabonis, and Zach Muchenhirn. We saw Chasen Shreve, a NRI player in 2022, pitch his way onto the Opening Day roster. Hunter would be the undeniable favorite to do so. Fortunately for Nogosek, Hunter is also out of options so he probably wouldn’t become the casualty if the Mets went with him.

Assembling a bullpen is never easy. It’s the life of a reliever to get DFA’d. The Mets have loaded up on plenty of fresh arm options for the 2023 season. They may not be done yet either.