When MLB announced the return of the season with several COVID-19 protocols, they enabled a 60-man player pool that teams can utilize for roster construction and training pruposes.
One team that benefits immensely from this is the New York Mets. They are in a period where they are World Series contenders on paper but injuries have prevented them from reaching that potential. They also have a fairly respectable farm system which is a rarity for teams in contention.
With the new roster construction, the Mets can truly find the best depth to start the season with their 30 players while slowly moving down to 28 and eventually 26. Here is a breakdown of who the Mets have added.
Starting Pitching:
Jacob deGrom
Marcus Stroman
Steven Matz
Rick Porcello
Michael Wacha
David Peterson
Kevin Smith
Corey Oswalt
Walker Lockett
Noah Syndergaard is missing as he underwent Tommy John surgery in spring once the shutdown began. That makes the depth in the rotation much more important. There are two left-handed prospects listed here in Peterson and Smith; they represent some very good pitching in the farm system that is close to being big-league ready.
Bullpen:
Edwin Diaz
Seth Lugo
Dellin Betances
Jeurys Familia
Brad Brach
Jared Hughes
Hunter Strickland
Justin Wilson
Robert Gsellman
Erasmo Ramirez
Tyler Bashlor
Drew Smith
Chasen Shreve
Paul Sewald
Daniel Zamora
Jacob Rhame
This group is one of the better ones in baseball with Diaz, Lugo, and Betances at the top and Familia, Wilson, and Hughes behind them. The Mets really create quality depth and don’t need to make many modifications to the bullpen or even the rotation.
Catchers:
Wilson Ramos
Rene Rivera
Tomas Nido
Ali Sanchez
Patrick Mazeika
This was fairly expected as the Mets have little depth at the catching position. As one source noted, the Mets are “mulling over adding top prospect Francisco Alvarez to the player pool to help him gain experience and potentially be the bullpen catcher. [Catching for] supreme big-league arms is very valuable to his development.”
Infielders:
Pete Alonso
Jeff McNeil
Robinson Cano
J.D. Davis
Amed Rosario
Dominic Smith
Andres Gimenez
Luis Guillorme
Eduardo Nunez
Matt Adams
Jed Lowrie
Max Moroff
Gordon Beckham
It is somewhat surprising to see Jed Lowrie on this list considering that he has yet to recover from his lower-body injuries. Gimenez appears to have been rewarded for a great Fall League and Spring Training, and he can be valuable on defense and on the bases. As one source added, “Ronny Mauricio and Mark Vientos have been under consideration to be added again for player development reasons.”
Outfielders:
Yoenis Céspedes
Michael Conforto
Brandon Nimmo
Jake Marisnick
Ryan Cordell
Johneshwy Fargas
Jarrett Parker
Melky Cabrera
The Mets stacked up on veteran depth at this position to help give experience to younger players and aid in the event of injury. Yoenis Céspedes and Michael Conforto have healed from their respective injuries and look to be at full throttle come the season.
With the player pool in place, the Mets have 51 players who boast talent and depth to pick through when considering options for their Opening Day roster and it’s quite possible that they add even more options to the pool. According to a source, the following players are under consideration for the remaining vacant spots:
Ronny Mauricio
Mark Vientos
Francisco Alvarez
Franklyn Kilome
Ryley Gilliam
Adonis Uceta
Harol Gonzalez
Tim Tebow
All in all, Mets put together a very stable and competitive roster and have lots of quality depth ahead of a shortened 2020 season.
