A pair of Mets 40-man roster spots could soon open, who snags them?

6) Why the NY Mets could add Tommy Hunter to the 40-man roster

The inevitable successful stretch from Tommy Hunter is bound to happen sometime in 2023. He was good for the team in 2021 and again in 2022 in the limited number of frames he pitched. Hunter rejoined the club on a minor league deal this offseason. The lack of 40-man roster spot is something the team should only seriously contemplate if he’s going to make the Opening Day roster. He’s a candidate to so, possibly stealing the spot away from Stephen Nogosek. It does seem the Mets are in an either/or situation with both given the fact that neither has minor league options.

Adding Hunter to the 40-man roster now only harms the Mets in the way that someone else would need to be DFA’d in order to clear a spot for someone else in the future. Hunter should either be on the Opening Day roster and expected to make it through the year or viewed as a mid-season replacement. The latter seems preferred.

7) Why the NY Mets could add Jimmy Yacabonis to the 40-man roster

Another one of those guys we’ve seen quite a bunch this spring, Jimmy Yacabonis has pitched 5 shutout innings. He has a lifetime 6.03 ERA in 118 big league innings, most recently going 1-1 with an 8.36 ERA last year with the Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays.

Yacabonis has not pitched well when given the chance to face the best in North America. His lack of minor league options puts him in a similar spot as Hunter. However, given the performance and expectations being much lower, it feels like less of a loss if he does end up DFA’d quickly.