3 Mets players already on the roster bubble

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.