213 Miles From Shea

The first rubber game of the season! After taking the first game of the series 4-2, the Mets fell to the Cardinals 3-0 last night. The offense could not get much going against Pallante and the Cardinals bullpen. The Cardinals bullpen was dreadful against the Rays opening weekend but has been lights out against the Mets this week.

At the start of this series we found out that Jorge Polanco was playing through an Achilles issue, leading to more Brett Baty in the field. Last night was the first time the Mets played with a “B” roster, with Polanco, Baty and Alvarez all not starting. That should mean the Mets are all systems go for a getaway day this afternoon behind Freddy Peralta!

Freddy Peralta makes his second start of the season this afternoon and his second start against an NL Central team. In his first start he allowed four runs on six hits over five innings, including two home runs while striking out seven batters. Peralta made one start against the Cardinals in 2025, holding them to one run over six innings on four hits and a one walk while striking out six. The Cardinals have the following career numbers against Peralta:

• Alec Burleson 4-18, 2 2B, 2 BB, K
• Nolan Gorman 3-11, 2B, 3 BB, 2 K
• Ivan Herrera 3-6, 2 K
• Pedro Pages 2-4, 2 HR, 2 K
• Victor Scott II 2-4, 2B, K
• Ramón Urías 0-2, 2 K
• Jordan Walker 2-9, 3 K
• Masyn Winn 3-15, BB, 2 K

The Cardinals are hoping this season is the one that Matthew Liberatore becomes their ace. He had a great first start of the season, allowing only one run on seven hits and two walks over five innings. Last season was the first season he moved fully into the rotation. Over 29 starts he pitched 151 2/3 innings with a 4.21 ERA, 4.03 FIP, 1.305 WHIP and a 97 ERA+. He made one start against the Mets last season allowing two runs from six hits and a walk while striking out six over 6 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Francisco Alvarez 1-3
• Brett Baty 0-0, BB
• Bo Bichette 1-2, K
• Francisco Lindor 1-7, HR, K
• Jorge Polanco 0-4, BB
• Luis Robert Jr. 0-3
• Marcus Semien 3-5, 2B
• Juan Soto 3-5, 2B
• Tyrone Taylor 2-6, 2 2B, BB
• Luis Torrens 0-3, 2 K
• Mark Vientos 2-4, HR

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Where did the Mets bats go? The Mets scored 11 runs on Opening Day. Since then it has been a struggle to score runs, with a solid chunk of their runs scored in extra innings. Yesterday the Mets had only three hits and four walks and went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. The Cardinals didn’t do that much better, going 2-for-11 with RISP. It would be nice to get the bats right before heading out to San Francisco.
2. Don’t blame Juan Soto though. Juan Soto went 2-for-4 yesterday including his second double of the season. He has gone 8-for-21 this season with two doubles and three walks (.458 OPS). He has four RBI’s, which is a sign of how well the bottom of the Mets order + Lindor have been getting on base but Soto himself has only scored once. That’s an indictment of what’s happening behind him.
3. Bullpen reset. Kodai Senga looked great last night pitching six innings while striking out eight. Richard Lovelady then pitched two innings. He gave up a run, making a two-run lead feel like an insurmountable three-run lead by the Cardinals, but at least he was able to give the rest of the bullpen the rest of the night off. Luis Garcia enters this afternoon’s game not pitching since last Saturday. Brazobán, Weaver and Manaea haven’t pitched since Sunday.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to take their second consecutive series tonight! Bo Bichette was the story after Sunday’s game, owning up to a rough first three games, and he came through last night going 1-for-5 with a sacrifice fly in the first inning and an RBI hit later in the game. Mendoza was able to lean on the three arms he didn’t use on Sunday (Myers, Raley and Williams) who combined to pitch 3 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Mets bats were on fire after the first game of the season and we haven’t really seen that since, hopefully tonight is the night the Mets bats get back on track.

Kodai Senga had a bizarre season last year. He made 22 starts, pitching 113 1/3 innings with a 3.02 ERA, 4.12 FIP, 1.315 WHIP and a 133 ERA+. Before his injury he made 13 starts with a 1.47 ERA. In his nine starts after his injury he had a 5.90 ERA and accepted a minor league assignment in September to figure out what was happening. This spring though Senga has looked fantastic, allowing only two runs over 9 2/3 innings while striking out 11 batters. He is routinely hitting 97 mph on the radar gun. The Cardinals have the following career stats against Senga:

• Alec Burleson 0-6, 2 BB, 2 K
• Nolan Gorman 0-5, 3 K
• Yohel Pozo 0-2
• Thomas Saggese 2-2, 2B
• Victor Scott II 0-2
• Jordan Walker 1-2, HR, BB, K
• Masyn Winn 0-2, K

Andre Pallante had a strong 2024, pitching in 29 games including 20 starts, with a 3.78 ERA over 121 1/3 innings. He couldn’t repeat those numbers in 2025 when fully moved to the rotation. Over 31 starts, 162 2/3 innings. Pallante had a 5.31 ERA, 4.68 FIP, 1.445 WHIP and a 77 ERA+. The Mets tagged him for eight runs over 9 1/3 innings in two starts last season off 16 hits and four walks. The Mets have the following career numbers against Pallante:

• Francisco Alvarez 2-3, BB
• Brett Baty 1-2
• Bo Bichette 2-6, 2B, K
• Francisco Lindor 6-13, 3 BB, 2 K
• Marcus Semien 1-4, K
• Juan Soto 1-9, 2 BB, K
• Tyrone Taylor 6-12, 2B, K
• Luis Torrens 0-2
• Mark Vientos 2-4, HR, BB

Three Things to Watch For:

1. Francisco Lindor, triple hitter? Lindor already has two triples this season. Lindor had three triples from 2023-2025. The most Lindor has ever had in a season was five (2022). He is generally not a triple hitter, and for Lindor to get a triple some other things have to happen (bad reads on the ball, lucky bounces in the outfield, etc). When you get two triples in the first four games of the season, it does make it a lot more likely that you could reach five or more by the end of the season!
2. Get to the Cardinals bullpen. The Mets have had historical success against Andre Pallante. Behind Pallante is a bullpen that has been struggling, posting a 7.94 ERA off 26 hits and no home runs in the first four games of the season. The Rays did most of the damage to the Cardinals pen and the bullpen bounced back last night allowing no runs over four innings, scattering two hits and three walks. While the Cardinals bullpen was not going to spend an entire season being as bad as it was this past weekend, tonight is the time to stop them from building positive momentum.
3. Carson Benge. Benge had a huge first game of the season getting a walk and hitting his first home run. He’s been pretty quiet since. Last night he went 2-for-4, stole his second base of the season and didn’t strikeout. The radio broadcast noted that it felt like Benge and Alvarez were making sure Lindor and Soto had runners to drive in all night.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets face their old friends the Cardinals tonight in St. Louis. The Cardinals and Mets are two of the five teams on the east coast of Florida, and have already played each other a whole bunch over the last month. This will be the Mets second consecutive season against an NL Central team, and the Mets look to build off of what was a mostly successful opening series against the Pirates.

The Mets converted Clay Holmes to a starter last season and he delivered over 33 games (31 starts) pitching 165 2/3 innings with a 3.53 ERA, 4.11 FIP, 1.304 WHIP and a 114 ERA+. Like many pitchers on the Mets he was more effective in the first half of the season, posting a 3.31 ERA over his first 19 games compared a 3.90 in his last 14. Holmes faced the Cardinals twice last season holding them to one run over six innings the first time and then three runs over six the second time a couple weeks later. The Cardinals have the following career numbers against Holmes:

• Alec Burleson 2-6, K
• Nolan Gorman 0-6, K
• Pedro Pages 0-3, BB
• Thomas Saggese 0-3
• Victor Scott II 1-4, 2 K
• Ramón Urías 3-12, 2B, 5 K
• Jordan Walker 0-4, 2 K
• Masyn Winn 2-3

The Cardinals are hoping Kyle Leahy can make the same journey that Clay Holmes has. Last season he pitched in 62 games totaling 88 innings with a 3.07 ERA, 3.04 FIP, 1.227 WHIP and a 134 ERA+. The Cardinals have stretched him out over spring training, with him tossing over 70 pitches in each of his last two starts. Spring starts don’t mean anything, but he did have a start against the Mets where he allowed no runs and no hits against the Mets over four innings back on March 7th. He pitched against the Mets in two games last season totaling 3 1/3 innings allowing only one run on one hit. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Brett Baty 0-2
• Francisco Lindor 0-2
• Jorge Polanco 0-1
• Luis Robert Jr. 1-3, HR, K
• Marcus Semien 0-2, BB
• Juan Soto 0-1, K
• Tyrone Taylor 0-1
• Luis Torrens 0-1
• Mark Vientos 1-2, HR

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Top Outfield Prospects. Both the Cardinals and the Mets broke camp with top outfield prospects. Carson Benge’s first hit on Opening Day was a home run. Besides that he has been pretty quite with two walks, a stolen base and five strikeouts. JJ Weatherholt already has four hits including an Opening Day home run of his own.
2. Brett Baty. What a start to the season for Brett Baty. He got the Mets on the scoreboard on Opening Day with a bases clearing triple. He already has four hits, two runs scored and a stolen base while splitting time at DH and first base. Carlos Mendoza said before yesterday’s game that Baty could see time in right field on days when Luis Robert Jr. gets the day off (Benge would slide into center). It’s only been a few games, but Baty looks way more confident this season as he steps into the super-utility role.
3. Cardinals are hitting. All rate stats are a little silly after three games, because it’s been only three games. Now that we got that out of the way, the Cardinals are fourth in the majors with a .813 OPS (Brewers, Angels and Nationals have the lead). Last year the Yankees led the league with a .787 OPS and the Cardinals were 24th with a .693 OPS.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets go for the sweep this afternoon in Queens!

On Thursday the Mets took the first game of the season in pesky fashion, working nine walks, scoring 11 runs and making the Pirates toss over 190 pitches. Yesterday neither team could buy a hit with runners in scoring position, but the Pirates were able to take the lead against the Mets twice in extra innings. The Mets tied the game after the 10th, squandering a bases loaded with no outs situation, but then came back in the 11th to win with thunder on a Luis Robert Jr. walk-off home run.

Let’s head off to San Francisco on a winning streak!

Nolan McLean tried to save the Mets season in 2025. He made eight starts across the final two months of the season getting five wins. He pitched 48 innings with a 2.06 ERA, 2.97 FIP, 1.042 WHIP and a 196 ERA+. McLean spent a good chunk of spring training with Team USA, starting the championship game allowing two runs over 4 2/3 innings from four hits and a walk while striking out four. After an unusual March, his next step is to get back into a routine for the long, regular season. The only player on the Pirates who has seen McLean in a Major League game is Marcell Ozuna (0-for-3, K).

The Pirates rotation is full of homegrown players, and the Mets will face another this afternoon – Carson Mlodzinski. Last season Mlodzinski split time between the bullpen and the rotation, totaling 34 games (12 starts) pitching 99 innings with a 3.55 ERA, 3.33 FIP, 1.303 WHIP and a 121 ERA+. He was way more effective as a reliever, posting a 2.15 ERA once being moved to the bullpen than his 4.99 ERA as a starter. Mlodzinski made one extended relief appearance against the Mets last season holding the Mets two hits and no runs over 3 2/3 innings while striking out two. The Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Francisco Alvarez 1-1, 2B
• Brett Baty 0-2, K
• Bo Bichette 0-1, BB
• Francisco Lindor 0-1
• Jorge Polanco 0-1
• Luis Robert Jr. 0-2, 2 BB
• Marcus Semien 0-0, BB
• Juan Soto 0-2, K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-2, 2B
• Luis Torrens 1-1
• Mark Vientos 0-3, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Pirates heavy bullpen use. Mlodzinski started last season as a starter and would normally go somewhere between 65 and 75 pitches with a season high of 99. The rest of season as a bulk reliever, the highest he would go was the 40’s. He did get stretched out in spring training, last pitching in an official game on March 14th totaling 64 pitches over five innings against the Orioles. The Pirates are going need him to go deep in this afternoon’s game. Justin Lawrence, Dennis Santana and Gregory Soto have all pitched in consecutive games. The three pitchers who had the last two days off, Mason Montgomery, Yohan Ramirez and Isaac Mattson, all pitched at least 36 pitches on Thursday.
2. Sean Manaea? We know the Mets plan on Manaea into a game at some point during the first turn through the rotation. Yesterday’s extra inning game means the Mets have used every reliever in their bullpen through the first two games of the season, with every except Tobias Myers, who did long relief on Thursday, pitching in yesterday’s game. Depending on game script, today feels like a possibility for three inning outing for Manaea, even if it makes more sense for him to pitch after Holmes or Senga. If Manaea gets into today’s game his velocity will be the story. His velocity has has been 3-4 mph below his career numbers, topping out around 89 mph all spring.
3. Brett Baty at first. Sunday lineups can get funky, but the Mets are keeping things the same this afternoon except with Luis Torrens getting the start at catcher. There is a defensive switch though with Brett Baty getting the start at first base and Polanco starting as the DH. Baty got a bit of time at first base this spring and it looks like the Mets feel that he is ready to go on day three of the season.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to take their first series of the season this afternoon as they take on the Pirates! The Mets took game one of the season in pesky fashion, making the Pirates through 192 pitches. They knocked out Paul Skenes before the end of the first inning and forced the Pirates bullpen to use six pitchers to finish off the game. The day off yesterday probably means that higher leverage relievers like Dennis Santana and Gregory Soto would be available today. It was a tone setting day for the Mets and hopefully it continues today!

David Peterson, the longest tenured Met, starts his seventh season this afternoon. Peterson made 30 starts last season and pitched 168 2/3 innings (both career highs) with a 4.22 ERA, 3.48 FIP, 1.370 WHIP and a 95 ERA+. In the first half of the season he tossed 109 innings over 18 starts with a 3.06 ERA, earning an All-Star game spot. He was different pitcher in the second half with a 6.34 ERA over 12 starts (59 2/3 innings). Both of Peterson’s starts against the Pirates happened in the first half of the season. In Queens he held the Pirates to only two runs over six innings. In Pittsburgh he allowed five runs over 4 2/3 innings. The Pirates have the following career numbers against Peterson:

• Joey Bart 1-9, 4 BB, 5 K
• Oneil Cruz 1-3, HR, 2 K
• Henry Davis 0-4, K
• Nick Gonzalez 1-4, 2B, BB
• Spencer Horwitz 1-2, BB
• Ryan O’Hearn 0-1, K
• Marcell Ozuna 4-22, 2 HR, 4 BB, 7 K
• Bryan Reynolds 3-13, 2B, 3 K
• Jared Triolo 2-5, 2B, 2 BB, 3 K

Today is a battle of long tenured pitchers as Mitch Keller starts his 8th season with the Pirates. Over 32 starts and 176 1/3 innings last season, Keller had a 4.19 ERA, 1.259 WHIP, 4.02 FIP, and a 102 ERA+. Keller has been consistent force in the Pirates rotation over the last four seasons with four consecutive seasons with at least 31 game appearances, at least 159 innings, and an ERA+ between 98 and 106. Keller was effective against the Mets in 2025 holding the Mets to only three runs over 12 1/3 innings, scattering 10 hits. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Francisco Alvarez 2-10, 4 K
• Brett Baty 3-7, 2B, HR, BB
• Bo Bichette 0-4, BB, K
• Francisco LIndor 2-16, 5 BB, 8 K
• Jorge Polanco 1-2, BB, K
• Luis Robert Jr. 1-1, BB
• Marcus Semien 0-5, 3 K
• Juan Soto 5-12, 2B, HR, 3 BB, K
• Tyrone Taylor 0-7, 2 K
• Luis Torrens 0-3, K
• Mark Vientos 2-10, 3 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. The longest tenured Met. There is a significant chance that David Peterson becomes a top-20 Met pitcher, depending on the metric, by the end of this season. It won’t be by bWAR. Peterson has 6.8 bWAR, good for 35th and would have to reach John Franco’s 11.2 by the end of the season to get into the top 20. He’s tied with Rick Aguilera at 37 wins, which is 34th in the franchise. He would need to get 47 this season to enter the top 20. He’s made 115 starts (#22), and he needs to get to 121 to pass Gary Gentry to enter the top 20. Nothing crazy here, but still noteworthy for a pitcher who has only made 30 starts in a season once, and had two key years bounced between the rotation and the bullpen.
2. Walk this way. The Mets worked nine walks in their first game of the season. This continues on the Mets propensity to draw walks from 2025 where the Mets finished with 563, good for fifth in baseball. About 20% of the walks in 2025 were from Juan Soto who didn’t walk at all on Thursday. The Mets went 5-for-15 with runners in scoring position, taking advantage of the free passes.
3. It’s cold. March and April baseball in Queens is not for the faint of heart. The high today is 45 and there’s a windchill that will dip below 30. It’s going to be a very different day than Opening Day which felt like a summer tease. Normally days like today favor the pitchers. The Mets bats got off to a hot start, hopefully that can warm them up today.

Let’s Go Mets!

The 2026 Mets officially take the field for the first time this afternoon!

In 2005 the Mets signed Carlos Beltran and Pedro Martínez. They rolled into the season with the slogan “The New Mets”. They should bring that slogan back this year with the amount of roster turnover. The Mets rank 28th in how much of the 2025 roster is returning in 2026. Jorge Polanco, Marcus Semien and Bo Bichette join Francisco Lindor in the infield. Luis Robert Jr and Carson Benge join Juan Soto in the outfield. Freddy Peralta makes an Opening Day start in Queens. Devin Williams and Luke Weaver will now close out games. Meet the Mets! There are a lot new faces to learn!

The Mets trading for Freddy Peralta was a real turning point of the off-season. Peralta is coming off of a career season where he made 33 starts totaling 176 2/3 innings with a 2.70 ERA, 3.64 FIP, 1.075 WHIP and a 154 ERA+. He faced the Pirates three times last season totaling 15 1/3 innings allowing five runs, four earned (2.35 ERA) while striking out 18 batters. The Pirates have the following career numbers against Peralta:

• Joey Bart 1-2, HR, BB
• Oneil Cruz 1-13, HR, 3 BB, 4 K
• Henry Davis 0-7, BB, 4 K
• Nick Gonzalez 2-10, 2B, HR, 4 K
• Spencer Horwitz 2-7
• Brandon Loew 1-5, K
• Ryan O’Hearn 1-6, BB, 3 K
• Marcell Ozuna 4-20, 2 2B, 2 BB, 6 K
• Bryan Reynolds 15-39, 2 2B, 3B, HR, 5 BB, 13 K
• Jared Triolo 1-9, 2 K
• Nick Yorke 0-1, BB, K

The Mets bats have a tough assignment on the first day of the season. Paul Skenes, the unanimous 2025 Cy Young winner, is a favorite to repeat this season. Over 32 starts last season he totaled 187 2/3 innings with a league leading 1.97 ERA, 2.36 FIP, 0.948 WHIP and 217 ERA+. He also allowed a league leading 0.5 HR/9 and put up a 7.7 bWAR. This includes a start against the Mets where he allowed only one run over six innings in a game the Pirates eventually lost 4-3. The Mets have the following career stats against Skenes:

• Francisco Alvarez 0-4, BB, K
• Brett Baty 0-2, K
• Bo Bichette 1-3, K
• Francisco Lindor 2-6
• Jorge Polanco 1-4, BB, 2 K
• Juan Soto 0-3, BB, 2 K
• Mark Vientos 2-3, 2B, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. 2026 Milestones. Several Mets hitters should personal milestones this season. Here are the big ones: Juan Soto 1000 walks, Bo Bichette 1000 hits, Marcus Semien 1000 runs scored and Francisco Lindor 300 home runs. While no franchise Mets record are expected to fall this season, Francisco Lindor and David Peterson look to move up several prominent lists this year. Francisco Lindor has scored 503 runs as a Met and should pass Mike Piazza (532) and Ed Kranepool (536) to get to 11th on the list. He should also pass Carlos Beltran and Dave Kingman in home runs to get to 6th on the all-time list. David Peterson can end up as a top 20 Mets pitcher in a few categories.
2. Battle of the fWAR Projections. The Pirates anchored by Paul Skenes and several other rising arms project 9th in pitching fWAR this season at 17.2, a few spots above the Mets (15.7). The Mets are projected to have the second best hitting fWAR (31.7) while the Pirates are near the bottom of the league (20.9). Similar to how the Mets beat Skenes last season, their path to victory runs through getting Skenes out of the game as fast as possible and then feasting on the bullpen, while suppressing the Pirates bats.
3. An Opening Day Debut. The Mets top position prospect made the roster! Carson Benge has exploded on top prospect lists before this season (Baseball America #19, MLB.com #16, Baseball Prospectus #10). He tore up spring training going 15-for-41 with a double and a triple (.435 OBP) and comes off of a season where he hit .281/.385/.472. Welcome to the show!

Let’s Go Mets!

The goal of today is to stay healthy!

The Mets play their last spring training game this afternoon. On Thursday the Mets will open the season against Paul Skenes and the Pirates in Queens. Yesterday Mike Tauchman, who was on the precipice of breaking camp with the Mets as a non-roster invitee injured his left knee, possibly after a collision with the right field fence. He jogged out to the field before the fifth inning but pulled himself out of the game. Heartbreaking stuff and hopefully it’s a lot less serious than it looked in the moment.

Which brings us back to today. Finish strong, finish healthy and let’s get ready to start the regular season in a few days!

Three Things To Watch For:

1. David Peterson. Peterson is coming off of a rough start against the Nationals where he allowed four runs from five hits and two walks over four innings. In the start before that he allowed only run off a solo homer over four innings against the Cardinals. The Mets don’t face the Marlins until late May, so there’s no real reason to hide anything from the Marlins this afternoon. Hopefully he has a solid outing and leaves spring training with some positive momentum going into the regular season.
2. Ben Rortvedt. As of game time, the Mets have four catchers on their 40-man roster. Hayden Senger was already optioned to the minors yesterday. Ben Rortvedt was claimed off waivers from the Dodgers earlier in February and does not have any options left. The Mets will have to DFA before the start of the regular season and hope he slips through waivers. This spring Rortvedt has gone 3-for-21 at the plate with a double and two walks (.208/.190/.399). His best season was 2024 with the Rays where he hit .228/.317/.303 over 112 games with a 0.9 bWAR.
3. Carson Benge. As of writing the Mets have not officially announced that Benge made the Opening Day roster, but all signs are pointing to him breaking camp and heading north to Queens. Benge has slashed .368/.442/.447 this spring with five RBI’s over 43 plate appearances this spring. The Mets top prospect has been exciting all spring and is coming off of a minor league season where he slashed .281/.385/.472 with 15 homers and 22 stolen bases.

Let’s Go Mets!

There are two days and three games left of spring training! Over the last few days a few things have become more clear for the Mets. It looks like the Mets will break camp with a six-man rotation consisting of Peralta, McLean, Senga, Manaea, Peterson and Holmes with Tong and Scott both being assigned to Syracuse. Austin Warren was optioned yesterday meaning there are only three players left in camp with a legitimate shot at the last bullpen spot. MJ Melendez was assigned to the Syracuse Mets meaning that Tauchman, Benge or both will make the Opening Day roster. We are so close to the regular season!

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Looming Right Field Decision. A few days ago the Mets assigned MJ Melendez to the Syracuse Mets. But who is the right fielder on the Mets? As of right now it looks like there is a possibility that both Carson Benge and Mike Tauchman get added to the 40-man roster to make the spot. One possibility of making sure Brett Baty gets more at bats, is to use him the infield, getting DH time for the Mets plethora of infielders. Both Tauchman and Benge have earned spots on the roster with their performance this month. Tauchman has gone 7-for-28 with three doubles and a home run. Benge has gone 13-for-32 with a double and a triple. The odd man out is Cristian Pache who also had a tremendous spring (13-for-28, 3 2B, 2 HR, SB, .545 OBP).
2. Last Bullpen Spot. A few days ago Anthony DiComo reported that there is essentially one spot int he bullpen right now. There are several pitchers who haven’t been assigned to minor league camp yet competing for that last spot including Craig Kimbrel, Bryan Hudson and Richard Lovelady. Hudson just allowed three runs in one inning of relief and has allowed six runs over 3 1/3 innings this spring from five hits and three walks. Lovelady, who started spring with the Nationals, has allowed one run over five innings from five hits and three walks. Both Lovelady and Hudson are on the 40-man roster. Kimbrel is not on the 40-man and has allowed three runs over six innings from four hits and five walks this spring. There is also the possibility the Mets go with no one on this list and sign a pitcher cut from another team.
3. Francisco Alvarez. Alvarez was slated to play the full nine innings Thursday night, but left the game in the fourth inning with back tightness. The game was not carried by SNY or Mets Radio, and with the Spring Breakout game happening at the same time we had to wait until after the game to find out that it was precautionary and Alvarez would have played through the injury if it was a normal game. The Mets have a great one-two punch with Alvarez and Torrens on the roster but as soon as one of them goes down, things get a lot murkier and the depth is tested real fast.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets play the Cardinals for the sixth and final time in spring training this afternoon, but it’s not the last time the Mets will play the Cardinals in March! The Mets will open the regular season against the Pirates on March 26th and then head to St. Louis for a three game series. With so few teams playing on the east coast of Florida, and three of those teams being in the NL East, it feels like more often than not the Mets play an early season series against a team they spent the whole spring playing.

The Mets have made a few roster moves before each game this week. Before yesterday’s game they optioned Ronny Mauricio to Syracuse which clarified a few scenarios. Mauricio was slated to be the starting shortstop if Francisco Lindor wasn’t ready. It was also difficult to see how the Mets would carry Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio and Mark Vientos on the same roster with Bo Bichette and Marcus Semien.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Tobias Myers. Myers was included in the Freddy Peralta trade and is more than just a throw-in pitcher. Myers has the ability to start, spot-start, long-relief, be the bulk guy, etc. In four games this spring he has pitched 9 2/3 innings allowing only two runs while scattering seven hits and four walks. He has 12 strikeouts over this time! Myers could be the x-factor for the Mets this season both in the ways he saves the bullpen’s workload when a starter falls short and his ability to pitch in high leverage situations.
2. ABS Challenge Update. The Mets have been so bad this spring at balls and strikes challenges. Teams this spring have had been successful 52% of the time. When the Mets are batting, they have been successful only 28% of the time. They’ve been a bit better when fielding, winning 38% of the time. If you rank every team by raw overturn numbers, the Mets are dead last.
3. Catching Depth. The Mets saw their catching depth tested on Thursday with Alvarez leaving the game early for back tightness (precautionary!). Luis Torrens is a great back up catcher, but he can’t catch all 162. On the 40-man roster the Mets have Hayden Senger who struggled offensively in 2025, but knows the Mets pitchers and is fine for a short stint if needed. The Mets brought in Ben Rortvedt this spring. Rortvedt made his major league debut in 2021 with the Twins. In 2024 with the Rays he got into 112 games and had a 0.9 bWAR slashing .228/.317/.303.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets emerge from their off day with final stretch of spring training games until Opening Day! On Tuesday the Mets moved both Christian Scott and MJ Melendez to Syracuse, which clears up their path forward a bit.

Scott is recovering from a 2024 Tommy John surgery and finally returned to the mound this spring. Over two starts and six innings he allowed three runs from six hits and four walks while striking out eight. MJ Melendez was trying to break camp as the Mets right fielder and he had a fairly solid spring going 4-for-11 at the plate with two home runs and a double. He’s just facing really strong competition from Carson Benge and Mike Tauchman.

As we head into the final few games of spring training, the Mets will need to finalize their rotation. Do they start with a six-man (Peralta, McLean, Peterson, Manaea, Senga and Holmes), or does one starter get dropped to the pen or Syracuse? Does Carson Benge make the team out of camp or does Mike Tauchman find his way onto the 40-man roster? Who gets the final bullpen spot? We only have a few more games to find out!

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Kodai Senga. Senga is coming off of a fantastic spring start where he struck out five of the nine batters he faced in three shutout innings. He did it with a fastball that averaged 96.5 mph and some slow curveballs. If this is the version of Senga the Mets get in 2026, they will have a formidable top-three of the rotation.
2. Opening Day lineup? Today’s lineup could be the lineup if Carson Benge doesn’t make the Opening Day Roster. Lindor, Soto and Bichette at the top of the lineup puts Bichette in the position that he loves to be in – batting with runners on base. They were always going to be the top three, everyone else is debatable and we’ll probably see them slide around as the year goes on.
3. Juan Soto. This is Juan Soto’s first game since returning from the WBC. Soto was 2-for-12 at the plate with a double and a strikeout before leaving camp in early March. He turned it on in the WBC going 6-for-23 with five runs scored, two home runs and five walks (.393 OBP).

Let’s Go Mets!