5 major "wild cards" that can define the 2023 season

There’s no sure thing in the game of baseball. As much as we all believe the New York Mets will compete for a playoff spot and more, there’s a reason to play the games.

The ball club has a couple of “wild cards” heading into this season. These decisions, players, and roles can swing drastically in either direction. Will it work out for the Mets or will these wild cards create chaos?

1) NY Mets wild card: Choosing optional relievers over veterans

Unless the team changes philosophies late into the offseason, it looks like they’re just about done adding to the bullpen. It was previously reported that the team was passing on several free agent relievers because they would prefer to have optional arms over guys they’d have to keep on the MLB roster. It’s understandable. To get through a full season, you need a lot more than your original Opening Day roster.

The Mets did a fantastic job this year of bringing in new faces with minor league options. Billy Eppler made their presence known on the waiver wire. Several minor league free agents were signed as well. One of the most hard-fought battles this spring will be for two or three bullpen spots.

One still has to wonder if the Mets are an arm short. Add in one more veteran reliever and I think we’d feel a little more confident.

This is something the team can and probably will address at the trade deadline. By then, someone will have hopefully stepped up to at least provide them with some more assurance in relief.

Pitching depth is something the Mets have plenty of. The question of quality has yet to be determined.

2) NY Mets wild card: Continuing with a DH platoon

It’s going to be another DH platoon at Citi Field this year. Daniel Vogelbach is the guy to start against right-handed pitchers. Someone else will get the nod when they face a lefty.

Darin Ruf’s presence on the roster makes it look like he’ll be an early favorite for those at-bats. However, the team did also sign Tommy Pham this offseason. We can consider them the two most likely to get the start over Vogelbach. Each will need to stay warm every night anyway. The moment the opposing team summons a southpaw from the bullpen is the time when Ruf or Pham receive a tap on the shoulder to take their hacks at the plate.

A DH platoon isn’t the most exciting plan of attack. Scars from how poorly it worked for the Mets last year, even prior to Vogelbach and Ruf, are too fresh to think any differently.

The Mets do have Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, and Francisco Alvarez down in the minors as future options in this role. Baty could potentially push Eduardo Escobar there if he gets off to a hot start. He may even be a viable candidate if Vogelbach underperforms or gets hurt.

When you study the analytics, a platoon of Vogelbach and a righty who hits lefties well should work out. We’ve already seen it fail. Raise a glass to some different results.

3) NY Mets wild card: Everything about the catcher spot

A few things about the catcher spot have wild card written all over it. The team traded James McCann this offseason after already adding Omar Narvaez to the roster through free agency. Narvaez will split time behind the plate with Tomas Nido to begin the year while Francisco Alvarez does everything in his power to find playing time in the majors.

It doesn’t seem as if there is much room for Alvarez on the Mets other than after an injury. He could be a right-handed DH option. Even then, his playing time would be far too limited.

The Mets will be counting on Narvaez to have a much better season than he did in 2022. The lifetime .258/.343/.386 hitter slashed just .206/.292/.305 last season with the Milwaukee Brewers. It was a disappointing follow-up from his previous two full seasons—one with the Seattle Mariners in 2019 and with the Brewers when he was an All-Star in 2021.

Has Narvaez hit a low point in his career he cannot climb out of? His sharp decline last season would be burdensome for the Mets. Although they aren’t counting on much offense from the catcher spot, we’re all hopeful for improvement.

Nido is what he is and that’s an occasional clutch hitter whose best asset is how he works with pitchers. He’s not so much a wild card. Narvaez’s performance and timing or even finding a way to promote Alvarez is.

4) NY Mets wild card: Carlos Carrasco’s gas tank

What’s left in the gas tank for Carlos Carrasco? He turns 36 in March and heads into 2023 off of a successful sophomore season with the Mets. Carrasco was 15-7 with a 3.97 ERA last year. He made 29 starts and gave the Mets 152 innings.

Far from brilliant, Carrasco was a more than acceptable fifth starter. It was the role he was meant for. He lived up to it.

As positive as it was, we all remember his shakiness throughout his 12 starts the year prior. Carrasco came off an injury that sidelined him for the first few months of the year only to go just 1-5 with a 6.04 ERA. Which version shows up in 2023?

Regression should be a reasonable expectation for Carrasco. His amazing July, going 3-0 with a 0.90 ERA, is what helped to give him much better numbers last season. Paired with the brilliance of May when he was 4-0 with a 3.60 ERA, we see a somewhat streaky pitcher who is capable of getting hot. The Mets will just have to hope this wild card is hot at the right times and scorching enough for the starts where they need him most.

Carrasco could end up as the third best pitcher in the Mets rotation or a guy bumped out of the picture. Fans should be able to imagine each scenario.