There’s little concern they won’t make the Opening Day roster. However, the ground beneath their feet will be made of thin ice.
The last thing any New York Mets fan wants to think about is ice. The northeast has been blasted with wintry weather this month. Politicians have been forced inside like rodents. We common folk now have the legitimate excuse to not wave at neighbors. Sorry, I didn’t hear you over the sounds of my feet crunching on the snow.
Spring training is nearing and yet thin ice is what these six Mets players bound to make the Opening Day roster will be on from the start. Underperform and someone is going to replace you.
Eliminated from this list are players perceived as battling for a roster spot. Brett Baty is no sure thing to make it. Danny Young is one bullpen addition away from being replaced. Which Mets players need a pair of skates most?
1) Starling Marte
Have your doubts about a late offseason trade involving Starling Marte. Although the Mets have reportedly shopped him, there doesn’t seem much momentum in dealing the aging veteran. The Mets would need to pay down a large portion of his contract to make it happen. It just doesn’t seem to be as likely of a scenario at the moment. Who knows? We still have a little less than a month until spring training games. When they do begin, someone’s knee may give out and Marte suddenly looks more palatable.
Marte has already lost his starting spot in right field. Expected to be a platoon partner of Jesse Winker, the Mets will have a lot of money invested in a guy who has lost most of his power and defensive abilities. He did hit well against lefties last season. Yet this hardly makes him a worthwhile player to keep around for longer than necessary.
Sadly, it does seem like this once popular Mets player could end up as someone who is released midseason. Marte had many productive at-bats in the playoffs. More regular rest can help him. Otherwise, he’s a good candidate to fall through the ice in 2025.
2) Jeff McNeil
Many Mets fans already believe Jeff McNeil fell through the ice for good last year. It was painful to watch him early on. He couldn’t do anything at the plate. No longer quite as glamorous because of his versatility due to the Mets not needing him at positions other than second base as much, the one reason to defend McNeil fell by the wayside.
Just as he was beginning to hit well in the second half, McNeil was hurt and we didn’t see him again until late in the playoffs. He had a part-time role when he did return. The debate raged on if he should play over Jose Iglesias who seemed to slow down as well with all of the additional playing time.
McNeil is “the other” veteran fans made mock trades for this offseason, often sending him to the Seattle Mariners for a pitcher way better than he is a hitter. If the Mets can’t count on McNeil to at least challenge for a .300 batting average, he’s a very mediocre part of the roster and someone we could see replaced by a plethora of younger options.
Unlike Marte who is on the last year of his deal, McNeil is more likely to stick around and view games from the bench instead. The Mets aren’t going to cut him. Instead, a guy like Ronny Mauricio, Luisangel Acuna, or even Jett Williams further down the line could steal the starting gig.
3) Jose Siri
We’re either going to love him or hate him. Jose Siri will wear a golden sombrero the same day he hits a game-winning home run. He’s going to steal runs with his defense while in the middle of a cold streak. There will be those who have had enough of him by the time April is over. Meanwhile, others will appreciate how often he scores from first base on a double.
In just his first year of arbitration eligibility, the Mets have no necessity to keep Siri around if he’s struggling to pass the tests they throw his way. Exactly how they’ll deploy him in center field alongside Tyrone Taylor remains unseen. Both hit right-handed so there’s no strict platoon. It could very well end up being a choice between who’s hot, how they’ve handled the opposing pitchers, and other factors than blindly believing splits.
While Taylor was able to gain favor and an immediate longer leash from the Mets with his performance last year, Siri gets no such courtesy extended his way. The Mets seized an opportunity to acquire a talented player for a pitcher they didn’t really need, Eric Orze. Siri could end up being a big part of the Mets’ future center field plans or just as easily a guy executed from the roster around Memorial Day.
The Mets do know what they got themselves into. It’ll be interesting to see how long they let the batting average get before making a harsh decision. A part of it might have to do with whether or not any of the young kids look ready for the show.
4) Luis Torrens
Briefly a fan favorite last year largely because he replaced Omar Narvaez, Luis Torrens did most of his offensive damage early on. A terrific catcher in terms of throwing out runners, hitting just .111 in August and .136 in September should have us wondering if he wore out his offensive welcome by hitting .300+ in June and July. Do deals with the devil have an expiration date?
The backup catcher spot isn’t one fans generally think of too deeply until it becomes a problem. The team did add reinforcements this offseason. Jakson Reetz and Chris Williams were each signed to minor league contracts. One of them would be a viable candidate to replace Torrens if he becomes problematic.
Luckily for him, Torrens isn’t still with the Mets for what’s expected of him on offense. Leave it to Francisco Alvarez to pop home runs. Torrens is just here to make sure there isn’t a black hole in the lineup on the days when Alvarez needs a rest. The problem is he was only 6 for 49 to end 2024.
Putting a backup catcher on thin ice isn’t uncommon. The Mets have run through a lot of them in recent years. Torrens doesn’t have to be a serious contributor at the plate to stick around. He just has to be better than he was for the final two months.
5) Clay Holmes
Clay Holmes isn’t going anywhere anytime soon other than maybe to the bullpen where many believe he truly belongs. Signed by the Mets to be a starting pitcher, this bold gamble can eventually help improve the relief corps while negatively affecting the team’s rotation. They have several backup plans. But there’s a reason why the Holmes backup plans aren’t a part of Plan-A, none are especially good.
There isn’t a reason why the Mets should push too hard for Holmes to work out as a starter. His contract lines up perfectly for what a reliever of his caliber should have gotten. This isn’t a situation where a guy such as Sean Manaea is underperforming and about to become the most expensive reliever in the game. Holmes is an experiment who, during his Mets tenure, could get flipped to the bullpen for an extended period of time before re-entering the rotation. It’s about getting the most quality innings out of him regardless of the role.
The Mets will have some patience with Holmes. However, a hypothetical cut-off date of around Memorial Day should be at the front of their minds. Even if the alternatives don’t look so great on paper, they can’t keep tossing him onto the mound as a starter if things are going poorly.
6) Griffin Canning
Holmes will have a place to go if he struggles as a starter. In whatever role Griffin Canning has, the Mets have even less reason to believe in a turnaround. Canning was signed to be starting pitcher depth but maybe a spot in the bullpen is where he begins. Lackluster results for the Los Angeles Angels have many of us scratching our heads as to exactly how he’ll fit in.
Of course, Canning could just as easily succeed in a relief role the same way Holmes might dazzle as a starter. That’s the absolute best-case scenario. Almost 40 years without a championship, Mets fans know not to expect the best-case scenario whatsoever.
We saw the ruthlessness of Stearns last year even with players considered to be “his guys.” Adrian Houser came over from the Milwaukee Brewers in a trade and yet he couldn’t survive the full year on the team. Houser managed to be a competent reliever, but the greater need for high-leverage arms eventually led to his demise.
A salary of just over $4 million will make Canning expendable. Stearns has the luxury of working for an owner who wants a championship at whatever cost. Dead money on the books is meaningless if it means a parade.
7) Paul Blackburn
While I’m still not fully convinced Paul Blackburn will make it to Opening Day as a member of the Mets due to a sneaky spring trade if not sooner, it’s way too speculative to assume he won’t be present. Blackburn was an acceptable trade deadline addition last year if only because he didn’t cost much at all. Heading into the 2025 season, it seems underwhelming.
A career 4.85 ERA which hasn’t been all that much better over the last three seasons when he has been a regular in the Oakland Athletics rotation, Blackburn lacks the desirable stuff many of us want from our pitchers. He doesn’t walk a lot of batters which is welcomed. However, in parts of 8 MLB seasons, only his 10 start rookie campaign in 2017 has resulted in an ERA+ of 100 or better. He’ll enter this year with an 83 ERA+ which puts him well below average.
Just because the Mets tendered him a contract doesn’t mean they’re fully committed to him. His deal, worth $4.05 million in 2025, is peanuts on the payroll. It wasn’t a tragedy for them to tender him a contract. Because of the way things have shaped out, Blackburn blends in with those other looming question marks.
It’s safe to believe Blackburn remains with the Mets when Opening Day arrives merely because he has such little trade value. Equally as trustworthy of a belief is that he’ll do so in a pair of snow boots to help his feet from freezing. He should be on thin ice from the start of spring training.
