3 likely Opening Day roster complaints many fans will have

It’s only natural. A high volume of traffic, both in cars and on foot in our area. The impending doom of what will undoubtedly be a brutal winter, excruciating summer, and a way too short spring and fall season of comfort. Another subway ride to a place you don't even want to be at has been canceled. Another $15 sandwich that’s mostly made of bread. New York Mets fans have the right to complain about things, even their beloved baseball team.

The Opening Day roster is far from being finalized. Billy Eppler has both big and small moves to make. We know, inevitably, we won’t agree with them all.

So, when the Mets do open the year, what will fans be complaining about most? The unkind inclement weather we’ll see in New York at the end of March is surely one thing to whine about. Elements of the roster will have us screaming a bit, too.

1) NY Mets fans will not be happy with at least one bullpen decision

There’s always one reliever in every bullpen that has us scratching our heads. It’s like when someone at an assembly or seminar does the old bit about how if you don’t see it, it’s probably you.

We all have at least one weird aunt or uncle. This member of the Mets bullpen fills that role.

His performance is distasteful. The Mets front office will see something in him no one else does. He’ll come in with zero minor league options, a lifetime ERA near 5.00, and maybe even questionable health.

The Mets have already added several players to their 40-man roster this offseason who are candidates to become the pitcher who gets dragged through the mud for cracking the Opening Day roster. Many of the additions weren’t flashy. We get it, though. Not every reliever can be an Edwin Diaz.

Even in understanding this, the Mets are going to demote one reliever most of us like more in favor of a guy we don’t want much to do with. He’ll be this year’s Jacob Barnes or Sean Reid-Foley.

2) NY Mets fans will not be happy with the catcher situation

We've all been put on pause with what the catcher position will look like for the Mets next season. The acquisition of Omar Narvaez means someone will be removed from the mix. My growing concern each hour they don't have a conclusion is that James McCann stays and Tomas Nido is gone.

McCann is more than a weak-hitting catcher. He’s also only the second-best at defense. He might be the fourth-best on offense depending on how Francisco Alvarez performs. It’s him, Alvarez, whose abilities are pushing hardest toward the Mets sending McCann away. Carrying three catchers on the roster is not wise in any capacity when you already have two first basemen, Pete Alonso and Daniel Vogelbach. The Atlanta Braves realized this. It’s too limiting. Even if it's McCann who gets traded away, it's beginning to feel like Alvarez is not going to see much action behind the plate.

Fans haven’t been pleased with McCann for much, if any, of his stay in New York. He was the alternative to J.T. Realmuto prior to the 2021 season. While some justified it by saying Realmuto was an overpay, McCann has been a bust of a free agent signing. He has lost playing time to Nido in both of his seasons with the team. Unhealthy for a lot of 2022, fans didn’t seem to mind.

McCann’s presence on the Mets roster is bad in a lot of ways. It either means Nido or Alvarez are gone or the team is carrying three catchers. Neither option is a positive one. Even if we do end up with the Narvaez/Nido tandem, it seems like Alvarez's time to shine may have to wait at least another year. Billy Eppler, what do you have up your sleeve?