No big changes ahead for Mets
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Players approach a spring training road lineup card tacked up in a clubhouse like a trip to the dentist’s office — a necessary evil.
It is not exactly a punishment to see yourself on it. But it sure as heck isn’t a perk, since it normally entails arriving early in the morning for an extended bus trip. This is why accomplished veterans go on few of these treks. Manager Terry Collins, for example, said early in camp there was no need for Yoenis Cespedes to even be issued a pair of gray road uniform pants.
The rule is that four regulars must go so paying fans see a legitimate opponent. But many teams ignore the rule or stretch the meaning of regulars. Even those who honor the decree still populate their lineup with a few obscure players wearing offensive linemen numbers, who have the same chance to make The Show this year as your plumber. This is particularly true in early March, before veterans are fully prepped to play more than a few innings.
The Mets’ 10-man starting lineup (it had a designated hitter) on Saturday had perhaps two players likely to start Opening Day, Travis d’Arnaud and Lucas Duda, and Duda was the DH. But while it lacked four no-doubt starters, it contained 10 players who all played for the Mets last year. The highest uniform number was T.J. Rivera’s 54. Collins called it a “representative lineup” anticipating a line of inquiry critical of why he did not bring obvious starters.
But it was “representative” in a more important big-picture way: The Mets are very likely to take 25 players north who played for them last year. They essentially are doubling down on last year’s wild-card loser.
“I like change,” general manager Sandy Alderson said. “But I don’t like change just for change sake.”
The Mets brought 55 players to camp; 52 were in the organization last year. Of the three newbies, only veteran Tom Gorzelanny has a chance to make the 25-man roster as a lefty specialist — and the early signs are the Mets will go with just one southpaw, Jerry Blevins, and their best righties.
Normally, teams import a lot more non-roster invites from outside than the Mets have this spring, or have prospects who have never been to the majors ready for elevation or have made trades or a freeagent signing. The Yankees, for example, were the majors’ only team not to ink a major league free agent in the 2015-16 offseason. Yet, their 2016 Opening Day roster featured six players who had not played for them previously.
“It’s pretty unique,” Mets bench coach Dickie Scott said.
Essentially, the Mets have added depth to cover up for injuries in each of the past two seasons, particularly last year, and now they generally have both a healthier version of the injured player (besides David Wright) and the guy brought in to address the injury, such as Rene Rivera and Jose Reyes from the outside, and Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo internally.
“We only played about the first three weeks last year with our team,” Scott said. Which is why Alderson asserted: “I do think there is a lot of room for improvement if we stay healthy.”
That works this way: Injured guys such as Duda and Matt Harvey stay healthy and thrive. Michael Conforto and Travis d’Arnaud rebound from bad years. The depth produced during last year’s injuries gives Collins season-long options.
“I look at our [depth chart] board and it is a pretty good board,” he said. “We used to have to use rookies here. T.J. Rivera doesn’t have much [service time], but he started the wild-card game against Madison Bumgarner last year.”
And Rivera might not even make the team, a sign of the depth the Mets have assembled even without going outside the organization.
There is still time to add. The Mets’ main NL East competitor, the Nationals, enlisted Matt Wieters and Joe Blanton with spring training underway. Alderson acquired two lefty relievers, Blevins and Alex Torres, on the brink of the 2015 season. However, he said he would be surprised if anything similar happens this year.
Alderson is not adverse to change big (Cespedes) or small (Blevins and Fernando Salas). But he likes what he likes, which is why retaining them as free agents last offseason was the priority over trying to change the dynamic of the group.
“It doesn’t feel it’s stale, it feels as if we have consolidated our gains,” Alderson said.
He called it a “metamorphosis” over the past two seasons of adding from inside and out to form a group he is comfortable not tinkering with further, at least to begin the season — perhaps Met-amorphosis was more proper.
The 2017 Mets — so far — have chosen continuity over conversion.