6 pitchers who should get every inning possible this spring

The World Baseball Classic this March will give some other players an opportunity to sneak into New York Mets spring training games and get more playing time than they might otherwise. Spring training is a chance to see what some players can offer.

Although the Mets don’t have too many decisions to make regarding the Opening Day roster that these exhibition games will help answer, there are certain players whose exact role remains undefined.

The pitching staff is where the Mets, and most teams, have the availability to make changes. Only an injury would change most of the roster decisions for this team when it comes to the position players. The bullpen, with possibly three open slots, is a battle between several arms. Getting through spring training healthy is the first step. Producing is the next.

It’s these pitchers we should keep a close eye on this spring as they’ll all be in a battle to make their way into the bullpen or climb the depth chart.

1) NY Mets need to see if Jose Butto has the stuff to be a starter

Jose Butto will definitely not be on the Mets Opening Day roster. He’s hidden behind Tylor Megill and David Peterson on the depth chart as a starting pitcher. He may even fall behind another guy or two. His presence on the 40-man roster does make him an easy and available candidate to be promoted whenever the team needs to break glass and find someone to give them a couple of innings as a starter.

Butto should only start games this spring for the Mets. A transition to the bullpen, the end outcome for many starters, can wait. The team needs to get a better idea of whether or not he has the stuff to be a starter in the major leagues. Spring training won’t answer this question. It can give them a better idea.

Last year on the farm, Butto was 7-6 with a 3.56 ERA in 129 innings of work. His one start for the Mets was bad but the same has been true for many pitchers. This season is the year where he could be a more regular arm in the rotation in case of an injury. The Mets should take the time to get to know him a little better this spring and whether or not he could be a future candidate to remain a starter or if a relief role is where he eventually lands.

2) NY Mets need to figure out a role for Joey Lucchesi

Joey Lucchesi is the pitcher who might be ahead of Jose Butto on the depth chart simply because he’s older and has more major league experience. He missed almost all of last year while recovering from Tommy John Surgery. A lifetime 4.24 ERA in 337.2 big league innings, Lucchesi may have to show early success in order to remain on track to be a big league starter option instead of a reliever.

The Mets can remain flexible with Lucchesi or decide early on for a different role. It’s not unusual for players to come back from a major surgery and immediately transition from a starter to reliever. Either direction makes sense for the Mets. They could use the starting pitcher depth. A lefty reliever or long-man out of the bullpen is a nice asset to have, too.

An early guess would be that the Mets aim to have Lucchesi start games in the spring and also come in as a reliever. When he did make starts for the Mets in 2021, he was limited in the number of innings he tossed. That was prior to Tommy John Surgery. We should expect them to handle him more carefully.

The trade which brought Lucchesi to the Mets did cost them Endy Rodriguez, one of the top 100 prospects in the league. To save face, we should expect the ball club to try everything before giving up on him.

3) NY Mets need to find out more about Josh Walker as a reliever

Another lefty to keep an eye on is a Mets minor league pitcher who is already transitioning from starter to reliever. Josh Walker was one of the players the organization sent to the Arizona Fall League. You don’t do that unless you believe in a guy’s abilities.

Moving to the bullpen and finding success is the next phase of Walker’s career. This spring will be an opportunity to pass someone like T.J. McFarland in the early part of the year as a candidate for the bullpen. He’s a longshot to make the Opening Day roster. He doesn’t have a 40-man roster spot and a promotion for him will rely on a couple of things to go well in the regular season.

Walker needs to embrace the relief role and excel at it. The Mets will also require a need on the MLB roster for another lefty reliever. It’s debatable how necessary southpaws are these days. The three-batter minimum rule did to the LOOGY what video did to the radio star.

A doubtful Opening Day roster candidate, Walker is someone the Mets should explore as a mid-season promotion candidate. Give Buck Showalter a chance to get to know him in the spring when there’s nothing on the line for the team but a whole lot for players like Walker.

5) NY Mets need to decide early if Stephen Ridings is worth keeping

Another guy the Mets picked up from the Yankees this winter was Stephen Ridings. The difference is he was a waiver claim. He hasn’t pitched much over the last three years. The minor league season was wiped out entirely in 2020. He got 29 minor league innings in 2021, 5 in the big leagues, and 2 more last season. He dealt with a shoulder impingement injury for most of last season, causing him to essentially have another last year on his resume.

Ridings doesn’t have quite as much at stake. He has minor league options and already feels like a guy who will automatically find his way onto the Syracuse roster. He’s not so much fighting for a big league roster spot. Ridings is competing against guys not on the 40-man roster. They’ll look to steal his roster spot by outpitching him this spring.

Claiming Ridings away from the Yankees was a worth risk to take. The Mets, like most teams, were hoping to add guys like him early on this offseason. The team has already DFA’d Taylor Saucedo and William Woods who joined the organization this way. Ridings could be the next, unless he can impress the team on the mound this spring.

Let’s give him lots of innings to see exactly what he can or cannot do.

6) NY Mets need to learn if John Curtiss was worth waiting for

John Curtiss was signed a year ago knowing he wouldn’t pitch again until 2023. Will he be worth the wait? The Mets will finally get a better idea this spring when they should put him in a competition alongside a few others to actually make the Opening Day roster.

Curtiss’ 2021 season included 44.1 innings and 3.45 ERA between his time with the Miami Marlins and Milwaukee Brewers. He got hurt late in the year and hasn’t pitched since. He’s in full rehab mode and someone to consider high on the relief pitcher depth chart to begin the year.

Curtiss is in little danger of not making it to Opening Day with the Mets. They’d need to have a better option not on the 40-man roster. Otherwise, the Mets will have waited more than a year to see what he can do without ever giving him a fair chance.

Among everyone on this list, Curtiss is the one I want to see pitch the most this spring. He’s the greatest unknown. Recovering from Tommy John Surgery assures a pitcher nothing. Thankfully, he is a reliever. There is no time needed to gear up for length. Once fully healthy and ready to step on the mound, New York can use him exactly as planned.

An honorable mention goes out to Bryce Montes de Oca and Stephen Nogosek. The Mets should already know them well enough and have a proper plan for each. That pairing should still see regular innings in the spring, too.