213 Miles From Shea

The Mets invite their cross-town rivals for one final tune up before Opening Day. Today is all about the bullpen with Stanek, Minter, Kranick, Young, Brazobán and Núñez all scheduled to get work in today. The Mets already announced after yesterday’s game that Núñez was being sent down to Syracuse to start the season which means the last spot in the bullpen will come down to Kranick and Brazobán.

The Mets also need to figure out today what they are doing with Alexander Canario. Canario is coming off of a tremendous game collecting three hits including two home runs, one of them being a grand slam. He no longer has options left, and will probably be difficult to sneak through waivers. As of writing the Mets have not officially announced a decision on Brett Baty (who walked three times yesterday) and Luisangel Acuña.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Max Kranick. Kranick has been phenomenal for the Mets this spring allowing two runs over 11 1/3 innings from nine hits and a walk while striking out 14 (1.59 ERA). He uses a mid-90’s fastball and has mixed in a slider, curveball and sweeper this spring. Barring something surprising, he seems to have the inside track for the last bullpen spot.
2. Huascar Brazobán. Like Kranick, Brazobán still has a minor league option left. He is also having a great spring, allowing three runs, two earned from seven hits and six walks over 9 2/3 innings while striking out 13 (1.86 ERA). As a Marlin in 2024, Brazobán tossed 30 2/3 innings with a 2.39 ERA (155 ERA+). After being traded to the Mets he had a 5.14 ERA (78 ERA+) over 21 innings.
3. Dedniel Núñez. Núñez starting the season with Syracuse is part of the reason why there is an open spot in the bullpen. The Mets want him to continue to build up his arm strength since he got a late start this spring. He’s only pitched in two games this spring allowing two runs from two hits while striking out three. It feels like the Mets are setting him up to be called back quickly in mid-April.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets, Marlins and Nationals all have the same problem at the end of spring training. As divisional rivals, there is a high chance that the calendar plays out in a way that the teams will see each other a lot early in the season. For the Mets and Marlins, 2025 is one of those seasons. Today is the sixth and final time this spring that the Mets and Marlins face off. They will then play each other six times in the first 12 games of the season. Working to the Mets advantage today – the Marlins essentially have wrapped up spring training. They don’t have a game tomorrow and Tuesday they have a game in Miami, so a lot of the regular stars are not with the team today.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Griffin Canning. Canning has had a phenomenal spring and seems to be penciled in as the starter for the third game of the season against the Astros. Over 10 innings this spring he has allowed one run, a solo home run, scattering six hits and two walks while striking out an astounding 16 batters. The Mets have also announced that Kodai Senga is going to be on limited pitches early this season and it feels like the Mets are flirting with a six-man rotation. Even when Manaea comes back, there is room for Canning in this rotation.
2. Brett Baty. Congrats if you called Brett Baty being second on the Mets in OPS (1.123) during spring training in 2025. It’s not official yet (as of writing at least) but it seems that Brett Baty is making the major league squad out of spring training. Since the Jeff McNeil injury, Baty has seen an increase of second base reps. Successful teams need players they weren’t necessarily counting on to have breakout seasons. In 2024 that was Mark Vientos. Here’s hoping 2025 is Baty’s year!
3. Marlins Prospects. If you play in an intense keeper fantasy baseball league, today’s game is for you. The Marlins have a spring training game in Miami on Tuesday as a last warmup before the season, so they are digging into their farm system for today’s road trip to play the Mets. This includes the spring training debut for Starlyn Caba, their 19-year old prospect that came from Phillies in the Luzardo grade. Caba is currently the #2 prospect in the Marlins system according to MLB Pipeline and had 51 walks in 52 games in the Florida Complex League. Across two levels last year he had 50 stolen bases over 79 games.

Let’s Go Mets!

There are only three spring training games left! There are only three spring training games left!

The Mets are on a roll winning their last three games in a row and four of their last five as spring training winds down. Today the Mets will take on MacKenzie Gore who will make his first career Opening Day start next week. Gore has been mostly dominant this spring, tossing 13 1/3 innings over three games allowing only two runs off 11 hits and five walks because he also has 14 strikeouts. This is a great opportunity for the Mets lineup to get some serious last reps in before the start of the season.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Tylor Megill. The Mets are setting Megill up to start the season in the rotation, pitching in the series against the Houston Astros. Over three starts this spring Megill has a 3.86 ERA over 11 2/3 innings with 13 K’s. Almost all of the damage came in his last start against the Astros where he allowed four runs over five innings. Before that he allowed on run over 6 2/3 innings.
2. The Juan Soto Trade. We are going to hear a lot about the 2022 trade that sent Juan Soto (and Josh Bell) to the Padres throughout this season. CJ Abrams, James Wood and MacKenzie Gore (with Luke Voit) all went to the Nationals the 2022 blockbuster trade deadline move. CJ Abrams isn’t playing today but James Wood and Gore are. Gore has established himself as the head of the pitching staff. James Wood is having a tremendous spring going 12-for-41 at the plate with four doubles and four home runs. I’m sure broadcast booths for the rest of the season will bring up this trade whenever the Mets play the Nationals, especially when Gore starts against the Mets.
3. Francisco Lindor. From March 12th to March 17th Lindor played in five games collecting four hits including two doubles. In the two games he’s played since then he has gone 0-for-8 with a walk and an RBI. The Mets need Lindor to get off to a hot start this season. MVP-esque Lindor hitting in front of Juan Soto will make this lineup roar.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets have been rolling out their A-lineup the last two days on the road and the Mets have routed their opponents. The Mets are coming off of a 10-4 win where the Mets collected 13 hits. Luis Torrens and Jose Siri picked up three hits and three RBI’s each. Kodai and Max Kranick looked great – vibes are all around great!

Today the Mets will play the Cardinals for the sixth and final time with Clay Holmes getting his last warm-up start before Opening Day in Houston. There are only four more games until the games count for real!

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Clay Holmes. Holmes has been sensational for the Mets this spring with a 1.29 ERA over 14 innings while striking out 15 batters. Each of his starts have been at least three innings and in his last start he went 4 1/3 allowing two runs on three hits. The start before he allowed one hit over 3 2/3 while striking out eight. Like every other Clay Holmes start this spring, we are watching for how deep he goes into the game to get a sense of how many pitches he’ll be allowed to throw on March 27th.
2. Mark Vientos at first. Mark Vientos gets the start at first base today with Pete Alonso DH’ing. Vientos and Winker are the Mets plan for when Pete Alonso needs a day off from playing in the field. In 2024 he played four games, including two starts at first, for a total of 25 innings with 1.000 fielding percentage.
3. Starling Marte in right. Today is just a day to watch the Mets in the field. Marte will be making his first start in the field. Marte will be a mixture of a DH and 4th/5th outfielder mixing in with Soto, Siri, Nimmo, Taylor and Winker. In 2024 Marte only played nine games as a DH (eight starts) compared to 85 games in right (.986 fielding percentage).

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets are coming off an 8-2 win against the Astros behind a strong start from David Peterson and 12 hits from the bats including five doubles from four different hitters! The Mets offense heads back to West Palm Beach today to take on the other home team, the Washington Nationals.

The Nationals are trying to round their starting rotation. Shinnosuke Ogasawara is locked in a roster battle to break camp with the team and in that starting five. Over four starts and 8 1/3 innings this spring, he has a 7.56 ERA and a 2.52 WHIP. He has every reason to fully bring it on against the Mets this afternoon.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Kodai Senga. Every Kodai start is a must watch, right? Senga dominated in his first start of the season allowing only two hits and nothing else over two innings while striking out two batters. His next major league spring training start was on March 14th where he allowed two runs from seven hits over 3 1/3 innings. Today we are looking for Senga to look more like his first start, keep the hits down and mow through this Nationals lineup.
2. Stolen Bases. The Mets have only swiped 15 bags this spring, which is good for 24th in MLB. For context, the Brewers already have 50 stolen bases, six teams have 30 or more, and 15 teams have 20 or more. Today’s starting lineup has 11 of the Mets 15 stolen bases. Azocar and Acuña have three each, Lindor and Siri have a pair each and Baty rounds out the group with one.
3. José Azocar. Let’s stick with Azocar for a bit. Azocar is having a tremendous spring with the Mets hitting 11-for-35 with a homer, three stolen bases and eight RBI’s. His eight RBI’s are tied for second on the team behind Pete Alonso. He has one more week to make a push up the depth chart. It’s still unlikely he breaks camp with the team, but a week is a long time in spring training.

Let’s Go Mets!

There are only six games left in spring training! The Mets will play the Astros for the seventh and final time this evening as they take a night trip to West Palm Beach. In an interesting scheduling quirk, the Mets and Astros will actually face each other in the Opening Series of the regular season starting on 3/27. Since the Astros are an American League team, the Mets and Astros will not face each other again in 2025 unless both teams make the World Series. It’s mildly interesting that these two organizations due to their spring training proximity get so familiar with each other and then just disappear from each other when the calendar flips to April.

Anyway the Mets have about a week to finalize their 40-man roster and their active roster. There was another round of cuts on Monday with four more players being assigned to minor league camp. The only surprising move was Chris Williams. This leaves the back-up catcher competition to Jakson Reetz or Hayden Senger (unless if the Mets make another move while other teams start to cut players).

Three Things To Watch For:

1. The Lineup. Tonight’s lineup could be their Opening Day lineup. Jose Siri probably gets the start over Tyrone Taylor in center. The Astros are have Framber Valdez listed as their Opening Day starter, who is a lefty so it’s also possible someone else will DH against him. The big story here is Brett Baty seems to be the Opening Day second basemen! The Mets bats are facing off against Ronel Blanco who catapulted to fame after tossing a no-hitter in 8th career start. He’s battling right now for a spot in the back of the Astros rotation.
2. David Peterson. Over three games and 10 2/3 innings, Peterson has a 0.84 ERA and 0.844 WHIP this spring. He’s scattered five hits and four walks while striking out eight batters. It looks like the Astros are running out their starting lineup (or something close to it), so this is an excellent opportunity for Peterson to test his stuff.
3. Juan Soto. You know who has been having an excellent spring? Juan Soto. In 12 games he has gone 10-for-28 with two doubles, four home runs and seven runs scored. Surprisingly, four homers is good for 8th in the league as four players have already hit six home runs (two of them in significantly more games played) and another three players have already hit five.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets and Marlins both have some interesting decisions to make today. After this game, both teams will meet again on Sunday, March 23rd. The Mets will then head to Miami for their second series of the year starting on March 31st. Then, the Marlins come to to Queens on April 7th for another series. The Mets and Marlins had a similar situation in 2023 where they ended spring training against each other and then faced off in two series over the first two weeks of the regular season.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Paul Blackburn. Blackburn is competing for the last spot in the rotation. After Sunday’s games Mike Puma reported the Mets are leaning towards keeping Blackburn in the bullpen. Blackburn still needs to be stretched out combing back from injury. So we’ll be watching today to see if the Mets continue to stretch him out and if the Mets decide to keep anything hidden from Marlin pitchers.
2. Luisangel Acuña. The injuries to the Mets infield are creating openings to both Brett and Luisangel. Luisangel is 7-for-31 this spring with only one extra-base hit slashing .226/.250/.258. He’s made the most of his his time on the base paths with three stolen bases already.
3. Alexander Canario. Canario is one of the major roster question marks heading into the last week of spring training. If the Mets do not put him on the active roster they are going to need to sneak him through waivers. So far this spring he has gone 3-for-25 at the plate with a double and three walks (.120/.214/.160)

Let’s Go Mets!

How are the Mets going round out their rotation? Tylor Megill, Paul Blackburn and Griffin Canning could all conceivably find themselves in the rotation when the Mets break camp in about a week. Megill had his first rough start of spring on Sunday allowing four runs from six hits over five innings. Blackburn will make a start on the road for the Mets today while Griffin Canning looks to continue his strong spring at home.

The Mets are playing their 4th and 5th game this afternoon in a 48-hour span. Tuesday their off and Wednesday they start their final push for the regular season. Roster battles are about to come down to the wire!

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Griffin Canning. Over 5 1/3 innings Canning has allowed three hits, one walk and struck out seven while shutting out opponents this spring. He’s pitched so well that he is starting to pop up on deep sleeper fantasy baseball articles. He also made slightly viral news a few days ago dodging a line drive while being interviewed in the Mets dugout. Is Canning another David Stearns steal?
2. Dedniel Núñez. Núñez makes his 2025 spring debut this afternoon! He had a breakout year for the Mets in 2024 pitching with a 2.31 ERA, 172 ERA+ over 35 innings spread over 25 games. A flexor strain shut him down for the second half the season and he’s been progressing slowly this spring. Today’s outing is a major hurdle to see if he’ll be ready for Opening Day.
3. Mike Vasil. A year ago we would be writing about how we’re excited to see Mike Vasil pitch for the Mets. The Mets left Vasil unprotected in the Rule V draft and he was selected by the Phillies who traded him to Tampa Bay for cash. He has struggled so far this spring allowing seven runs from 12 hits over 7 2/3 innings. The Rays also selected Nate Lavender from the Mets. Both players must stay on the 26-man roster throughout 2025 if the Rays want to keep them.

Let’s Go Mets!

For a second straight season all teams are participating in a Spring Breakout game. It’s like the All-Star Futures Game, but each team roster is made up of one organization. In 2024, the Mets prospects beat the Nationals prospects 4-2 with big days at the plate from Ryan Clifford and Kevin Parada. Brandon Sproat foreshadowed his tremendous 2024 with two strikeouts in one inning. Many of the players from the 2024 game will be back today!

The 2025 roster is loaded prospects that are close to the majors and played in last year’s game (like Jett Williams), 2024 draft picks (Carson Benge, Jonathan Santucci) and players trying reignite their prospect start (Kevin Parada). Should be a fun day at the ballpark!

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Jonah Tong. Tong has a fastball with over 20 inches of vertical break. Drafted by the Mets in 2022, Tong is coming off a standout season across three levels of minor league ball where he had a 3.03 ERA, 1.168 WHIP over 113 innings. The big difference for Tong in 2024 was his control. he kept his strikeout rate high (12.7 K/9) but dropped his BB/9 from 9.4 in 2023 to 3.7 in 2024. Barring a major surprise, he probably won’t make his major league debut until 2026.
2. Carson Benge. The Mets first round draft pick in 2024 is a top-100 prospect in baseball (#71 Baseball Prospectus) heading into the 2025 season. Last season he played in 15 games with the St. Lucie Mets hitting .273/.420/.436. The Mets drafted the left-handed pitcher for his power (55) and hit (55) skills. Like another Mets prospect from Oklahoma State, Benge was a two-way prospect. He even was a semi-finalist for the John Olreud award for two-players. Benge has decided to focus on becoming a major league hitter.
3. Jeremy Rodriguez. The Mets traded Tommy Pham to the Diamondbacks during the 2023 trade deadline for a 17-year old Jeremy Rodriguez who has really come into his own as Met. When the Mets got him, he was hitting .246/.363/.377 in the DOSL. Clearly, his walk rate was ridiculous. He finished the season hitting .422/.536/.711 with the Mets DOSL team. Last season he played 50 games with the rookie level Florida Coast League Mets slashing .282/.355/.400. Look for his fielding today, which is another strength in his game.

Lets Go Mets!

Buckle-up everyone! The Mets are about to play four games in the 30-ish hours! This afternoon the Mets have a normal spring training game against the Astros followed the MLB Spring Breakout game – a prospect only showcase that MLB started in 2024. Then tomorrow the Mets have a split-squad doubleheader. If we think of spring training in phases, tomorrow feels like the end of the second phase before camp starts to shrink again.

The Mets essentially play the same four teams during spring training and today is the second-to-last game against the Astros, with the last game happening on Wednesday the 19th. The Mets will then open the regular season in Houston, so a lot of Astros early in the season. This is actually the second time in three seasons where the Mets are opening the regular season against one of the four teams they played against all spring (2023 Marlins). This may change how both teams hide their pitchers from hitters today and on Wednesday.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Tylor Megill. Megill is in a roster battle for the back of the rotation. With injuries to Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea, Megill is competing with Paul Blackburn and Griffin Canning for the two spots behind Holmes, Peterson and Senga. This probably means that Megill, if he makes the rotation, would fall out of the first series of the year against the Astros – so hopefully he gets a full start on the mound today rather than splitting time between the game and the back fields. Megill is off to a tremendous start this spring, allowing one run over 6 2/3 innings from four hits and two walks while striking out seven.
2. Brett Baty at second, again! Baty has already logged 27 innings at second this spring for the Mets (37 at 3rd). Today will be his sixth game at the position where he has had 13 chances so far, eight assists, four put outs and one error (no errors at third base for comparison).
3. Hayden Senger. With the Mets playing so many games over the next two days, everyone battling for the back-up catcher spot on the active roster should get another chance. Hayden Senger has struggled at the plate this spring, going 2-for-12 with a run scored and two walks. He has not recorded a hit in March and the last time he walked was on March 2nd (he’s has also only played three games since the 2nd and five games total in March going 0-for-6).

Let’s Go Mets!