Mets Potentially in Trouble over Spring Training Roster

[Gwreck]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2008/news/story?id=3268713

Apparently you're supposed to bring a "representative team" to all spring road games. The definition of "representative" i a "minimum" of four players who were regulars the previous year or had a "reasonable chance" of being regulars this season.

The Mets brought Church and Castro to Lakeland on Wednesday to play the Tigers. Not good enough, apparently.

[Gwreck]

Some followup from Adam Rubin's blog:

1:07 p.m.: Omar Minaya just revealed that MLB officials called him today to express displeasure with the Mets sending so few regulars to Lakeland yesterday for the Grapefruit League opener.

]Only Ramon Castro, Mike Pelfrey, Ryan Church, Mike Wise and Marlon Anderson made the 150-minute bus ride. Four �regulars� are required for spring-training games. Minaya said MLB appeared satisfied with the Mets� explanation that with Carlos Beltran, Endy Chavez, Luis Castillo and Damion Easley unavailable, the Mets couldn�t practically send too many players. (Jose Reyes, David Wright, Mosies Alou and Brian Schneider were perfectly healthy.) �We told them the situation and they were perfectly understanding,� Minaya said. The GM said he left two messages for the Tigers before the game informing them of the Mets� skeleton crew that was coming. One person affiliated with the Mets shrugged it off by pointing to the meager roster the Tigers sent to Port St. Lucie the previous year.

[metirish]

] �We told them the situation and they were perfectly understanding, know what I mean"