3 Mets decisions that have set them up well to get through all 162 games

Every MLB team has a 26-man roster they hope to stick with for an entire 162-game season. Knowing that this is an impossible dream they then hope to only stick with players on the 40-man roster. This is also an impossibile task in 2023. The New York Mets used 61 players last season. Some of which most Mets fans had never heard of before appearing in a game (Nate Fisher take a bow).

We saw some rough injuries suffered by Mets players last season. Jacob deGrom missed most of the season and Max Scherzer had two separate IL stints. The depth got them through those times. They'll need depth to come through again.

Edwin Diaz is done for likely the entire season. Jose Quintana will be out for at least half of the season. Brandon Nimmo might miss time now with his injury. Fortunately, Billy Eppler and the Mets made some great decisions to set them up to get through a full 162-game season.

1) NY Mets have arguably the best SP depth in baseball

It's unfortunate that they have to tap into it now with the Quintana injury, but the Mets have, in my opinion, the best starting pitching depth in all of baseball. We all know how good the rotation should be when healthy with Scherzer, Verlander, Senga, Quintana, and Carrasco as the quintet, but they have many more capable options to fill in.

David Peterson will likely be the guy to fill in for Quintana and he's a very capable back-end starter in the major leagues. We saw him have a good year last season, and I expect nothing less in 2023.

Tylor Megill is the other starter likely battling with Peterson for Quintana's spot. Megill has had some success at the big league level and might even have more upside than Peterson. Health and consistency are concerns, but he's an elite option as a seventh starter.

Guys like Elieser Hernandez and Joey Lucchesi are other starting pitchers with a good amount of experience who can get hitters out. They're not aces, but can keep you in ballgames. Even digging a little deeper, the Mets have guys like Jose Butto and Denyi Reyes who I think can contribute if they really need it.

The Mets have a plethora of starting pitcher options which will be crucial for a 162-game season in a rotation full of older players with injury concerns.

2) Having optionable relievers will help the Mets out a ton

The Mets have four locks in their bullpen now following the Diaz injury. Those players are David Robertson, Adam Ottavino, Brooks Raley, and Drew Smith. The other four spots, at least to begin the season, will be a revolving door of a massive pool of players.

Stephen Nogosek is out of options, as is the recently acquired Dennis Santana. Other than those two, every reliever the Mets will have can be optioned other than Jimmy Yacabonis who is unlikely to open the season on the MLB club.

Having all of these optionable relievers allows the Mets to essentially always have a fresh arm or two in their bullpen. In a 162-game season, the value of this cannot be overstated.

Players only being allowed to get sent down five times per season definitely makes it harder for Billy Eppler to manipulate the roster daily like GM's used to, but the Mets should be able to do a good job fielding an at least partially-well rested bullpen most of the time.

As nice as it would've been for the Mets to sign someone like Zack Britton, that limits the flexibility a lot more for an older pitcher who is probably not much better than someone like Bryce Montes de Oca or Stephen Ridings.