3 Mets players already on the roster bubble

New York Mets v St. Louis Cardinals
New York Mets v St. Louis Cardinals / Dilip Vishwanat/GettyImages
1 of 3
Next

The New York Mets Opening Day roster offered no surprises other than the late announcement that Justin Verlander was landing on the IL. Aside from that, it was fairly obvious which 26 players the Mets would bring with them to Miami.

Injuries are impossible to predict. Demotions and DFAs are a little easier.

It’s these three Mets currently on the 26-man roster in most danger of losing their spot. Tylor Megill didn’t make the cut because he has already replaced someone. These other Mets are on the list with their 26-man and 40-man roster spots in jeopardy.

1) NY Mets roster spot in jeopardy: Dennis Santana has to prove himself quickly

Dennis Santana joined the Mets as an out-of-options reliever this spring. An uninspiring career, he joined the club with a lifetime 7-14 record and 5.12 ERA in 139 innings of work.

Santana will need to pitch much better than this in order to stay on the MLB roster. He could be a decent mop-up quality pitcher with a ceiling of offering more.

The biggest trouble the Mets can get themselves in with the bullpen is not having enough optional relievers. Only Drew Smith and John Curtiss can be sent to the minors without having to be DFA’d. It’s going to be incredibly tough to demote either of them if they are pitching well all for the sake of seeing what Santana can turn into.

The Mets made having optional relievers a big deal this offseason. It’s one of the reasons they claimed they skipped out on signing some of the other available free agent relievers. Injuries and certain Opening Day roster choices have limited this ability. 

2) NY Mets roster spot in jeopardy: Stephen Nogosek is in the same spot as Dennis Santana

The story isn’t much different for Stephen Nogosek except we know him much more than we do Santana. A carryover from last year’s team, Nogosek was in competition this spring alongside some of the other non-optional relievers. The Mets decided to at least start the year with him on the club. It made sense. See what you can get and if things don’t work out, move on.

The leash on Nogosek should be similar to the one on Santana. The pair are essentially competing against each other and maybe even the far more seasoned veteran Tommy Hunter. All three were question mark Opening Day roster decisions. Hunter’s spot does seem a little bit safer. Maybe it’s just familiarity and a thicker resume that has me feeling this way.

Fair or not, Nogosek could see his time with the Mets end simply because he isn’t pitching well enough and the bullpen needs a fresh arm. The team doesn’t even have any reasonable position players they could demote. Given this, Buck Showalter has to be especially careful with his bullpen usage.

Interestingly, the Mets don’t have any true long-man on their roster either. Elieser Hernandez was an obvious candidate but an injury to begin the year removed him from the equation. The team’s starters will need to make sure they consistently go deep enough in games to save a couple of outs.

3) NY Mets roster spot in jeopardy: Tim Locastro has to do everything asked and more

Outfielder Tim Locastro was the biggest surprise to make the Opening Day roster. He replaced Darin Ruf after the “slugger” was designated for assignment. His job with the Mets is already in jeopardy and he’ll need to have a near-perfect stint with the ball club in order to keep it.

Locastro has not received rave reviews for his regular season performance. A strong spring and the ability to find multiple ways to use him was enough to convince Mets management that he’d be a better fit for their roster. Unfortunately, it seems inevitable that at some point the club could look for more offense from one of their young hitters.

Locastro is useful but if the Mets starters aren’t producing, he becomes the roster casualty. Locastro doesn’t have minor league options which means the Mets would have to designate him for assignment in order to clear his 26-man roster spot. He could pass through waivers. Just to be a punk, one of the other contenders could steal him away if they have room.

To stay, Locastro needs to play great defense, run a ton, and produce at the plate in the opportunities to hit he does get. Those shouldn’t be plentiful. Locastro made a lot more sense to finish the year on the big league club as a postseason weapon. Instead, the Mets will need to milk as much talent from him as they can.

Next. 3 Mets Opening Day starters who will be gone next year. dark

Next