PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- With only nine days until the April 3 opener in Kansas City, the New York Mets' roster picture is becoming clearer.
Among the developments:
Former Milwaukee Brewers closer Jim Henderson appears in good shape to be with the team in April.
The Mets appear fairly likely to carry an extra bench player to open the season, which would allow both Eric Campbell and Matt Reynolds to make the roster, even with Asdrubal Cabrera active.
The debate about whether Kevin Plawecki opens the season in the majors or minors remains up in the air.
The Mets plan to hold Alejandro De Aza, at least for the short term.
Team officials are interested in adding a lefty-hitting infielder, but are not aggressively shopping for one at the moment.
Starting position players
Because the Mets open in an American League ballpark, they will have a designated hitter the first two games. Terry Collins has mentioned using an outfielder as the DH as a vehicle to get Juan Lagares in the spacious outfield at Kauffman Stadium. But let's start with the projected lineup against right-handed pitching in a National League ballpark, provided Michael Conforto's back spasms prove to be fleeting.
1. Curtis Granderson, RF
2. David Wright, 3B
3. Yoenis Cespedes, CF
4. Lucas Duda, 1B
5. Neil Walker, 2B
6. Conforto, LF
7. Travis d'Arnaud, C
8. Cabrera, SS
Bench
The Mets are leaning toward carrying a six-man bench to open the season. The rationale: They don't need a seven-man bullpen because they play only twice the opening five days of the season, and because they will have starting pitchers available to work as relievers that first week anyway.
It remains a hot topic of debate whether Plawecki will open the season as the backup to d'Arnaud, or at Triple-A Las Vegas getting regular playing time. Team officials are not enamored with Johnny Monell and have been looking for a "4A"-type catcher who is better than Monell to open the season as the major league backup. Another byproduct of Plawecki spending the first several weeks in the minors would be that he can avoid getting to arbitration a year early.
Meanwhile, when the Mets signed De Aza, they did not foresee Cespedes re-signing. Now it is difficult to see how much playing time De Aza actually can get. But the Mets plan to hold on to him for the short term, despite his $5.75 million salary, because they otherwise lack the depth to offset an outfield injury. Remember, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Matt den Dekker and Darrell Ceciliani all have departed the organization in the past year, leaving strikeout-prone Travis Taijeron and minor-league free agent Ty Kelly as the alternatives, at least until 2011 first-round pick Brandon Nimmo demonstrates he is fully healthy.
Let's leave Plawecki on the Opening Day roster for now:
9. Plawecki, C
10. Wilmer Flores, IF
11. Reynolds, IF
12. Campbell, IF/OF
13. De Aza, OF
14. Lagares, OF
Rotation
No challenge here, except for the precise order.
15. Matt Harvey, RHP
16. Jacob deGrom, RHP
17. Noah Syndergaard, RHP
18. Steven Matz, LHP
19. Bartolo Colon, RHP
Bullpen
As mentioned, the Mets are leaning toward opening with a six-man bullpen. That essentially would mean a five-man bullpen the opening two games of the season, as Hansel Robles has to serve a two-game suspension for throwing in the direction of Philadelphia's Cameron Rupp with a quick pitch on Sept. 30.
Let's start with the five locks identified by Collins.
20. Jeurys Familia, closer
21. Addison Reed, RHP
22, Antonio Bastardo, LHP
23. Jerry Blevins, LHP
24. Robles, RHP
Assuming the Mets do carry the expanded bench, that leaves Henderson, Erik Goeddel, Sean Gilmartin and Logan Verrett for one spot.
Henderson, his velocity having resurfaced after shoulder surgery in August 2014, appears in good shape to open the season with the Mets. Still, because he is on a minor league contract, the Mets conceivably could wait a week or so -- until dropping a bench player -- to add him.
Goeddel was slowed for most of camp by a right lat strain. He appeared in his first Grapefruit League game on Thursday in Fort Myers and allowed two runs in a frame, including a homer to Xander Bogaerts.
Gilmatin and Verrett are vying for a long-relief role, but that might not exist until the Mets have a full seven-man pen.
Although the Mets instead could carry the long man from the get-go and wait briefly on Henderson, let's give Henderson the nod in this projection, with Goeddel opening in the Vegas bullpen and Gilmartin and Verrett both joining Rafael Montero in the Triple-A rotation.
25. Henderson, RHP
