3 Mets roster decisions from spring training we wish were reversed

Most of those final roster decisions before spring training don’t really matter much and to jump to any conclusion this early in the year is assumptive. The New York Mets barely had any competitions in St. Lucie. Tylor Megill, who deservedly got the spot in the rotation held by injured starter Kodai Senga, was the most exciting and yet that was won early.

What about those other decisions? Far deeper in the pantheon of importance are these three roster choices we wish, in hindsight, could’ve been reversed.

1) The Mets should have kept Mark Vientos instead of DJ Stewart

The Mets ended up choosing DJ Stewart over Mark Vientos although it wasn’t necessarily a direct one or the other. Stewart was the last guy to actually get notified that he had made the team as the Mets searched for alternatives up until the last minute. While Vientos has continued to hit well in Triple-A, Stewart has been somewhat of a lost cause in the majors as one of the more regular DH options for the team.

Only lately has his bat heated up. A pair of home runs in the series against the Atlanta Braves helped spark him slightly. However, there is little doubt most of us are more curious about what Vientos could have offered as the everyday DH instead of Stewart in a part-time role out of this spot in the lineup.

Why the Mets didn’t do this

The anticipation of J.D. Martinez joining the club much sooner than he actually will had a lot of input into this decision. Stewart was viewed as a placeholder for Martinez. Giving Vientos the DH duties only for him to tear pitchers apart and then remove him from the role would’ve been difficult. Instead, after a powerful yet strikeout latent spring training, Vientos was sent to his familiar stomping ground in Syracuse.

The only bonus, if there is one, with this decision is that Vientos has been able to play more regularly than he would have in the majors. Having Stewart’s left-handed bat, in theory, has benefits, too. It allows Carlos Mendoza to go with the best matchups possible. The National League teams now play American League ball with the DH in place. It still doesn’t mean pinch hitters are extinct.