Edgy MD

That Pete Crow-Armstrong start comes after an offseason six-year, $115 million extension the Cubs gave him after only two seasons in the league.

Philosophy emanates from both places. Whatever philosophy undermined Jeff McNeil, two-time batting average champion, and turned him into Jeff McNeil, utterly disposable player, presumably was understood and embraced among the front office, the manager's office, the batting coaches, and (to be fair) Jeff himself. You can change personnel over and over, and outspend most everybody, but most teams are filled with capable major league players. The difference, to a meaningful extent, is philosophy, and beliefs can be stubbornly persistent, whether it is effective or not.

One walk on the afternoon. Might have had a second, but Vientos had a ball four overturned into a strike three.

As surely as Spring follows Winter, when a team is having trouble winning, they will begin juggling relievers on and of the roster, whether or not it is their bullpen costing them wins. So it goes with the current iteration of the Mets, making their second reliever DFA in as many days, while they utterly struggle in the scoring department — as if their relievers even own bats. Transactions, 4/12/2026 GOING COMING Designated for Assignment Promoted from Syracuse Relief Pitchers Relief Pitchers Luis Garcia Joey Gerber R/R DoB: 1987-01-30 High Level: MLB (2026) R/R DoB: 1997-05-03 High Level: MLB (2025) Say what you want about Luis Garcia, that thick, bushy bird's nest on his chin made him the most readily identifiable of the denizens of the new-look Mets bullpen. A shutout ninth yesterday, however, proved to be less his salvation and more of an attempt by the Mets to soak up as much slop with him in a mop-up situation as they could before banishing the 14(!!)-year-vet to DFA-land. The beneficiary of Garcia's bad news — Joey Gerber — previously appeared in the majors in 2020 with the Mariners (and does 2020 even count?!), before returning for a cameo last year with the Rays. A 5.40 ERA at Syracuse for The Big Baby (and please let that be his actual nickname) is hardly making a strong case for being first guy up, but he's on the 40-Playe Roster, and that tends to get a guy to the head of the line. An important Joey Gerber note: The Mets reserve relief corps (RRC) also features minor-league veteran Jordan Geber, currently unscored up on in 3 2/3 innings between Binghamton and Syracuse. Barring an injury, he is almost certain to see some time with the big club this year, and just as likely to be conflated with Gerber. Joey Gerber. Jordan Geber. Reserve separate and distinct room for the two of them in your head while you still can.

As surely as Spring follows Winter, when a team is having trouble winning, they will begin juggling relievers on and of the roster, whether or not it is their bullpen costing them wins. So it goes with the current iteration of the Mets, making their second reliever DFA in as many days, while they utterly struggle in the scoring department — as if their relievers even own bats. Transactions, 4/12/2026 GOING COMING Designated for Assignment Promoted from Syracuse Relief Pitchers Relief Pitchers Luis Garcia Joey Gerber R/R DoB: 1987-01-30 High Level: MLB (2026) R/R DoB: 1997-05-03 High Level: MLB (2025) Say what you want about Luis Garcia, that thick, bushy bird's nest on his chin made him the most readily identifiable of the denizens of the new-look Mets bullpen. A shutout ninth yesterday, however, proved to be less his salvation and more of an attempt by the Mets to soak up as much slop with him in a mop-up situation as they could before banishing the 14(!!)-year-vet to DFA-land. The beneficiary of Garcia's bad news — Joey Gerber — previous appeared in the majors in 2020 with the Mariners (and does 2020 even count?!), before returning for a cameo last year with the Rays. A 5.40 ERA at Syracuse for The Big Baby (and please let that be his actual nickname) is hardly making a strong case for being first guy up, but he's on the 40-Playe Roster, and that tends to get a guy to the head of the line. An important Joey Gerber note: The Mets reserve relief corps (RRC) also features minor-league veteran Jordan Geber, currently unscored up on in 3 2/3 innings between Binghamton and Syracuse. Barring an injury, he is almost certain to see some time with the big club this year, and just as likely to be conflated with Gerber. Joey Gerber. Jordan Geber. Reserve separate and distinct room for the two of them in your head while you still can. Your Mets Coaching Staff Manager Bench Coach Pitching Coach Hitting Coordinator Third Base Coach First Base Coach Bullpen Coach Ass't Pitching Coach Carlos Mendoza Kai Correa Justin Willard Jeff Albert Tim Leiper Gilbert Gomez José Rosado Dan McKinney DoB: 1979-11-27 DoB: 1989-07-14 DoB: 1990-09-09 DoB: 1992-08-16 DoB: 1996-07-19 DoB: 1992-03-08 DoB: 1974-11-09 DoB: 1989-06-06 Hitting Coach Strategy Coach Catching Coach Coaching Assistant Bat'g Practice Pitcher Equipment Manager Bullpen Catchers Bullpen Catchers Troy Snitker Danny Barnes J.P. Arencibia Rafael Fernandez Kevin Mahoney Kevin Kierst Eric Langill Dave Racaniello DoB: 1988-12-05 DoB: 1989-10021 DoB: 1986-01-05 DoB: 1988-08-03 DoB: 1987-05-11 DoB: 1964-07-09 DoB: 1979-04-09 DoB: 1978-06-03 Your Mets Training Staff Director of Player Health Head Athletic Trainer Assistant Athletic Trainer Reconditioning Coordinator Reconditioning Therapist Head Performance Coach Assistant Performance Coach Performance Coordinator Brian Chicklo Joseph Golia Bryan Baca Sean Bardanett Josh Bickel Dustin Clarke Tanner Miracle Jeremy Chiang DoB: 1972-07-17 DoB: 1978-??-?? DoB: Circa 1980 DoB: 1988-06-23 DoB: 1996-??-?? DoB: 1987-??-?? DoB: 1991-??-?? DoB: ????-??-?? Your 2026 New York Mets Starting Pitchers Clay Holmes Nolan McLean Freddy Peralta David Peterson Kodai Senga R/R DoB: 1993-03-27 R/R DoB: 2001-07-24 R/R DoB: 2996-06-04 L/L DoB: 1995-09-03 L/R DoB: 1993-01-30 Relief Pitchers Huascar Brazobán Luis Garcia Craig Kimbrel Sean Manaea Tobias Myers Brooks Raley Luke Weaver R/R DoB: 1989-10-15 R/R DoB: 1987-01-30 R/R DoB: 32291 R/L DoB: 1992-02-01 R/R DoB: 1998-08-05 L/L DoB: 1988-06-29 R/R DoB: 1993-08-21 Relief Pitchers Catchers Infielders Devin Williams Francisco Alvarez Luís Torrens Bo Bichette Francisco Lindor Ronny Mauricio Jorge Polanco R/R DoB: 1994-09-21 R/R DoB: 2001-11-01 R/R DoB: 1996-05-02 R/R DoB: 1998-03-05 S/R DoB: 1993-11-14 S/R DoB: 2001-04-04 S/R DoB: 1999-11-13 Infielders Outfielders Marcus Semien Mark Vientos Brett Baty Carson Benge Luis Robert, Jr. Tyrone Taylor Jared Young R/R DoB: 1990-09-17 R/R DoB: 1993-12-11 L/R DoB: 1999-11-13 L/R DoB: 2003-01-20 R/R DoB: 1997-08-03 R/R DoB: 34356 L/R DoB: 1995-07-09 Also on 40-Player Roster Starting Pitchers Relief Pitchers Tylor Megill Christian Scott Jonah Tong Alex Carrillo Reed Garrett Justin Hagenman A.J. Minter R/R DoB: 1995-07-28 R/R DoB: 1999-06-15 R/R DoB: 2003-06-19 R/R DoB: 1997-06-06 R/R DoB: 1993-01-02 R/R DoB: 1996-10-07 L/L DoB: 1993-09-02 On 60-Day Injured List with torn right UCL. With Syracuse With Syracuse With Syracuse On 60-Day Injured List — right UCL surgery and nerve relocation surgery. On 60 Day Injured List with fractured rib. With St. Lucie on Rehab Assignment Relief Pitchers Catchers Outfielders Dedniel Núñez Jonathan Pintaro Dylan Ross Austin Warren Hayden Senger MJ Melendez Nick Morabito R/R DoB: 1996-06-05 R/R DoB: 1997-11-07 R/R DoB: 2000-09-01 R/R DoB: 1996-02-05 R/R DoB: 1997-04-03 L/R DoB: 1993-11-29 R/R DoB: 2003-05-07 On 60-Day Injured List — right UCL surgery. With Syracuse With Syracuse, on Seven-Day IL With Syracuse With Syracuse With Syracuse With Syracuse Outfielders Juan Soto L/L DoB: 1998-10-25 On 15-Day Injured List with strained right calf Designated for Assignment Relief Pitchers Relief Pitchers Luis Garcia Richard Lovelady R/R DoB: 1987-01-30 L/L DoB: 1995-07-07 Designated for Assignment, 2026-04-11 View full article

Good time to pinch-hit Mo for Semien.

Peralta's breaking pitch the last two innings has been the best it has been all year. Sadly, as noted above, he piled up a lot of pitches before that.

Civale's got about 12 or 13 in a row, it feels like. And another un-illustrated Lou Brock reference! What a rip-off!

Benge can represent!

Damn, McNeil doing McNeil things again is a thing of beauty. I mean, it would be if his uniform was the right color.

Semien has a healthy amount of butt, and he kind of proudly sticks it out there in his batting stance.

Hey, we have got Clarke with two runners in scoring position! I missed that while folding laundry.

I don't think Senga ever had anything after sprinting over to cover first.

Jeff McNeil first-pitch swinging is classick Jeff McNeil.

I'm trying to imagine it on Brooks Robinson's back, and I can't.

Consider Pete Alonso, doing a damned good Chris Davis imitation, going .167 / .262 / .259 // .522 over his first 14 games/61 plate appearances as an Oriole, with one homer and three RBI. Yes, witness honestly the failings of your team, but know that you have no exclusive on Biblical-level lamentations. Most notable (most Chris Davisable) is Alonso's 19 whiffs in his 61 trips — a whopping 31% of the time. There is still time to change course — as there is for so many (most) of us — but periods have a way of becoming trends. Alonso — forced to give up number 20 in favor of 25 in deference to Frank Robinson, for whom #20 is retired — also must contend with a tailor who has run out of 5s, and has ad-libbed by sewing a 2 upside-down and backwards to represent his second digit. Here he is mourning one more moment of athletic and sartorial failure.

Good for you. I missed it. I merged the two.

The Mets get one more chance to get their ship modestly righted before heading to the West Coast and facing the buzzsaw that is The Los Angeles Dodgers, losers of all of three games thus far in 2025. Opening Day starter Freddy Peralta heads to the bump, while the Athletics counter with Aaron Civale, traded mid-season each of the last three years, with a waiver claim thrown in there for good measure. Game time scheduled for 1:40.

And Soderfountain piles on the Mets again. Blergh.

I guess I shoudn't have started watching again. Kimbrell threw 10 pitches and got nine strikes.

Leiter up in the pen after pitching last night. It's apparently allowed!

Which coach read this post out loud to them in the dugout?

I was putting up a Mets Roster Central post. Did I miss anything?

As the Mets' lineup continues to struggle, they address their issues in classic fashion — by futzing around with the bullpen. Oddly enough, they seem to be cornering the market on former Braves bullpen mainstays to add to their collection of Yankee relievers. Transactions, 4/6/2026 COMING Signed away from SEA to Minor-League Contract, Placed on Syracuse Development List Relief Pitchers Luke Jackson R/R DoB: 1991-08-24 High Level: MLB (2025) Luke Jackson was an indifferent piece of the Braves pen back in the teens, but then had an out-of-this world season in 2021. He paid for that by missing 2022 with UCL surgery and has bounced around the league since, with occasional success. That 2021 season helped the Braves to a championship, giving Jackson one more reason to be joyful following the birth of his son a few weeks earlier, leading Luke to celebrate following Game Three inviting his wife Corrine and baby onto the field for a post-game cuddle. Transactions, 4/9/2026 COMING Sent to St. Lucie on Rehab Assignment Relief Pitchers A.J. Minter L/L DoB: 1993-09-02 High Level: MLB (2025) Former Braves relief standby #2 is AJ Minter, who gave the 2025 Mets a few weeks of effective bullpenning before going down with a left lat strain that led to season-ending surgery. Mets Roster Central's mindset says that strains aren't supposed to lead to season-ending surgery, but we are not lat doctors. We are as happy to see the re-emergence of Minter, and while we are as dubious as experience might suggest with regards to how much he has left, we have to look at his rehab assignment as starting the DFA clock on Richard Lovelady, who knows a thing or two about DFAs. Transactions, 4/11/2026 GOING COMING Designated for Assignment Added to 40-Player Roster and Promoted from St. Lucie Relief Pitchers Relief Pitchers Richard Lovelady Craig Kimbrel L/L DoB: 1995-07-07 High Level: MLB (2026) R/R DoB: 32291 High Level: MLB (2025) Well, that DFA clock sure wound down quickly. And the Mets squeezed as much juice as the could out of Dickie by using him in mopup duty last night. The bell was tolling for poor Lovelady the whole time. It is hard to argue that Craig Kimbrel is distinctly ready to launch himself on the 2026 season, with only a single inning of A-Level competition since he came up short of the roster in Spring Training, but they don't call him "Dirty Craig" for nothing, and he hasn't made nine All-Star Teams for nothing. He's a weirdo at the end of his career, but he finds a way to get it done. Dirty Craig will be rocking his standard 46, which has been on his back for most of his 440 career saves. It isn't expected that he will take a lot of ninth-inning leads to protect away from Devin Williams, but he is currently fifth on the all-time save list, 38 behind Lee Smith and an active Kenley Jansen. Who knows if he will get a chance to make a further run piling up saves, but if doesn't come to blows with his father-in-law under the stands at Citi, a Hall-of-Fame future is all but guaranteed.