Spring Training Questions!

[Edgy MD]

There is nothing like Spring Training drama! And this year is no exception! Scores?! Standings?! Bah! That isn't what gets the headlines! The real drama is in roster maneuvers and lineup incursions!

So many exclamation points!

Who is the Closer?

Devin Williams is the first answer, but as he is coming off a crappy year (following five good-to-excellent ones), he is no lock. Craig Kimbrell is in camp, He's 100 years old, but he's Craig Kimbrell. We're handicapping this as about a 75% likelihood of Williams, a 15% likelihood of Kimbrell, a 5% likelihood of Luke Weaver (who bailed Williams out for a bit with the Yankees last season), and 5% for the rest of the field.

That 15% likelihood of Kimbrell as closer is exceed by his perhaps 40% likelihood of ending camp with a retirement press conference, but as long as he is out there, he is a factor.

Who is the Odd Man out of the Rotation?

The Mets have five veterans with guarantees protecting them from being stashed, and one rookie who came on like a juggernaut last Autumn, who can be stashed, but would really, really make you ask a lot of questions if the team actually did that. So somebody has to go to the pen.

If history holds, this question will be answered (probably in the next few days) when one of the six comes up hurt, but if not, Kodai Senga seems like the odd man out. This is a staggeringly precipitous drop for a guy who was near unhittable through the halfway point of last season, before falling off a metaphorical horse. A further concern is added by him being a methodical scientific worker who benefits from a consistent usage pattern that the bullpen would not afford him.

Nonetheless, the Mets could stash him in the pen, try to control his usage from there as best as they can, and publicly announce that they have confidence in him but they want to control his innings workload over the course of the season, and will be moving him to the rotation forthwith — and then they wait until, again, an injury clears up the issue.

A second option is to use Sean Manaea in the pen. Manaea had a much more fleeting run of effectiveness as a starter in 2025, but similarly collapsed down the stretch. His lefthandedness may make more useful to employ strategically in the pen, and his seemingly less method-based approach him less in need of a standard use pattern.

Plus his tatts and big-assed arms make him look more relief-y.

But again, an injury could clear up this "issue" before you are done reading this post.

Does Benge make the roster?

The Mets have shuffled off a bunch of guys ahead of Carson Benge on the outfield depth chart — Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeill off the MLB roster; Drew Gilbert and Jett Williams from the minors; Luisangel Acuna from somewhere in between, and probably somebody I am forgetting (oh, yeah, Starling Marte).

This really greases the skids for a breakthrough for Benge, but he still sits behind at least five guys on the MLB roster and six more (MJ Melendez, Ji Hwan Bae, José Ramos, Ryan Clifford, Cristian Pache, and Nick Morabito) at the minor-league level. Discussion seems to be centered around whether the Mets will be willing to resist the temptation to delay his arbitration eligibility, but the real question to me is whether he comes on strong enough to leapfrog all those guys. He certainly could, or he could possibly spend the entire year rounding out his game in the minors and not appear at all. It's a tall order.

Who is in Right Field?

Obviously, if Benge answers the prior question in the affirmative, that obviates this question. But it remains to be seen how serious and confident and correct the Mets are that they can convert Brett Baty into a regular outfielder from the Opening Day bell. Tyrone Taylor and Vidal Brujan can be used to cover for him defensively and against lefties, but that means more of Tyrone Taylor and Vidal Brujan.

Plugging a bat you otherwise think belongs in your lineup out of position into an open outfield spot is appealing on paper, but often becomes complicated in practice. I'm looking at you, Dom Smith 2021, Lucas Duda 2012, Keith Miller 1990, and HoJo 1992. Sometimes, like with Mookie Wilson opening the season in right field in 1981, the team is dead serious about these maneuvers on Opening Day but abandons the experiment within a few weeks. And Brett Baty may quickly be seeing more time at DH and in the infield.

Who Bats Leadoff While Lindor Is Away?

In past years, Nimmo was the easy answer, but the Mets blew that up. They could move Bo Bichette up, but there goes the big plan for having him behind Soto, and shortens the lineup more generally behind their biggest bat. They could find somebody further down the line to be the new table setter. Nobody is going to match Lindor's skill set, but a lot of them have part of it.

They could also drop Soto back down to third, bat Bichette leadoff, and plug an interloper in the two-hole.

Answer these spring training questions or ask your own below!

[MFS62]

What happens if Polanco is the second coming of Marv throneberry ( ok , maybe dick Stuart) at first base?

Who is the logical backup? Vientos? Baty? Someone else? And where do you move polanco?

Later

[Edgy MD]

The Mets have publicly stated that they retain the DH non-position as a backup spot for Polanco, with the option of using more experienced firstbasemen Mark Vientos and Brett Baty there as an alternative.

But whatever he turns out to be, I am confident that he will not be Dick Stuart. Playing a former middle-infielder at first is hardly as frightening as playing a non-fielder at first.

[whippoorwill]

If those are the closer options I expect a lot of ninth inning disappointments

[Benjamin Grimm]

Who is the Closer?

I'll go with the easy answer and say Williams. If he doesn't get it done, I'm not sure where they'll turn.

Who is the Odd Man out of the Rotation?

I think, if all six are healthy, they'll go with a six-man rotation at least through April. After that, things will sort themselves out, as they inevitably do.

Does Benge make the roster?

No. Not yet, anyway.

Who is in Right Field?

I'm thinking Baty if he demonstrates during spring training that he can handle the position, otherwise Taylor.

Who Bats Leadoff While Lindor Is Away?

I hope this is a moot question, but I'll go with Semien or Robert, depending on who has the better spring.

[Gwreck]

Answering questions on what I think will happen (and not necessarily what should happen):

1. Williams is the closer on opening day. Is he the closer by the time the postseason comes around? Not sure.

2. Mets break camp with 6 starters, and continue to use a 6-man rotation unless/until one of those 6 gets hurt.

3. Yes, Benge makes the roster.

4. Yes, Benge plays RF on opening day. Baty plays <25 games there in 2026.

5. Semien leads off if Lindor is not playing opening day.

[DocTee]

Bat Soto leadoff---he has the OBP and the ability to steal bases, and you want your best hitter to get the most at-bats.

I saw the Mets social media posts, where the players hold cute chalkboards like they are kindergartners, this week. Vientos listed 1B/3B as his positions, and I think we see more of him at first than we'd like.

Williams has to close, and he has to perform well.

[ashie62]

I think Benge has a real shot to be here day 1

There is a trend that college players are being pushef up second year post draft

Cam Smith Astros and Christian Moore were up last year as 2024 draftees

There is an ROY bonus by MLB fwiw

I'm not reading too much into Benge's struggles in about one month at 3A

The OF positioning is a mess right now. Benge might help that when he gets the call

[Lefty Specialist]

Colser? Williams, with Weaaver as the backup if he falters, just like the Yanx last year.

I'm definitely in the 6-starter camp. Plus you know someone will get injured, making the point moot.

I think Benge starts in Syracuse, even with a hot spring training. If he's tearing it up in Syracuse he'll be up, but I think he needs to prove himself at that level first.

Baty is the Opening Day right fielder, with heavy doses of Taylor (unfortunately).

Semien's your leadoff guy in Lindor's absence. Bichette has to protect Soto. What'll be more interesting is who plays shortstop every day? I would guess they don't want to move Bichette of third while he's still adapting to the position.

[Cowtipper]

Fernando Rodney was 200 years old and he still managed some good years. Closers are weird, even when geriatric they can have killer seasons. I'd slot Kimbrel in over Williams. Williams was good as a setup man. Keep him there.

[Lefty Specialist]

Kimbrel won't make it out of spring training. He's done.

[Edgy MD]

Bet! Bet! Bet!

[Centerfield]

I have a hard time understanding why Marcus Semien, who is projected to have either the worst or second worst OPS among the starters, would be in anyone’s thought as a fill-in leadoff. He’s had an OBP under .310 the last two years.

He should bat no higher than 8th until he proves otherwise.

[Edgy MD]

Bet! Bet! Bet!