The heat from the hot stove is drawing almost all of the attention at MLB’s Winter Meetings in Dallas, but details about current Mets players’ future roles and injury rehabs still carry some importance after the first month of the offseason.
While pitchers and catchers don’t report to Port St. Luice for another two months and the roster still not fully in tact – signing a 26-year-old right fielder to a massive contract, notwithstanding – Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns was coy (he did not comment about Juan Soto‘s yet-to-be-made official signing) when talking about free agents, including Pete Alonso.
Of course, about the hot stove, Stearns did say that he thinks there is the “potential” for this to be a “pretty active Winter Meetings” and that is “a good thing.”
“Just the volume of conversation both leading up to this week and the types of conversations that seem to be ongoing in the industry this week,” he said when asked why he thinks there could be a decent amount of activity.
Having said that, Stearns was rather forthright when asked about several Mets during his Monday gaggle with reporters in Dallas.
On Ronny Mauricio’s injury rehab
Last month, Stearns said he didn’t have a good answer for why Mauricio’s rehab from a torn ACL had taken longer than originally thought and the young infielder had not yet resumed baseball activities. The tenor of the update on Monday was much more positive.
“He’s had a really good couple of weeks,” Stearns said this time around. “I think we’re heading in the right direction there. He’s beginning baseball activities. And so all of that is really positive and probably this is the best stretch of Ronny progression that we’ve had in some time.”
Mauricio, who made his debut at the end of the 2023 season before sustaining the injury during winter ball in the Dominican, certainly “has the talent to compete for a job” at spring training, but health will be the determining factor.
“We need the health to be in the right spot and we also need to recognize that this is a player who hasn’t now competed in a year,” Stearns said. “We’ve gotta get him back in baseball shape, not just completely healthy.”
He called it “unlikely” that Mauricio will play in winter ball this offseason.
How much stretching out for Jose Butto?
After beginning the season as a starter, making seven starts in the season’s first few weeks before being sent down to Triple-A, Butto returned to the big leagues in July and became a dependable bullpen arm for manager Carlos Mendoza.
Stearns said the plan for this offseason is for Butto to prepare as if he would be used as a starter, but that might not be his role.
“For guys like Jose, the easiest thing for them in the offseason is to prepare in the offseason as though they’re going to be stretched out,” he said. “Once you’re stretched out we can always shorten you up. And so, Jose is gonna stretch out over the course of the offseason.
“We’ll probably stretch him out a little bit once he’s into camp and then we’ll see how our roster shapes out.”
In 2024, the 26-year-old pitched to a 3.08 ERA and 1.132 WHIP with 38 strikeouts in 38 innings over seven starts. After moving to the bullpen in July, he pitched to a 2.00 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with 41 strikeouts in 36 innings over 23 appearances. (He was tagged for five runs in 7.0 innings over six postseason relief outings.)
“He proved last year he can be a weapon out of the bullpen, and he also has experience going deeper into the game as a starter,” Stearns continued. “So it’s a great skillset to have. And it gives us some versatility in our pitching staff.”
Paul Blackburn and Tylor Megill: Starters or relievers?
Along those same lines, Blackburn and Megill are going to come to spring training after preparing to be starters, but both could be candidates for the bullpen. And the former is on track to be ready after undergoing a CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) leak repair in his back in October.
“He is recovering well, that, obviously, is a unique surgery, unique injury in baseball, but so far everything is going well,” Stearns said. “He is on track to have a relatively normal spring training and on track to be available on Opening Day.”
The president of baseball ops still envisions Blackburn as a starter, but it depends on where the Mets are as March turns to April and they decide how they want to approach setting up their rotation.
Center field platoon
As of now, Stearns sees Tyrone Taylor and the newly acquired Jose Siri as both seeing time in center field.
“With Siri and Tyrone, we have two guys who are really talented defenders. Can impact the game in a variety of ways,” he said. “I’d imagine over the course of the year they’re both gonna see some significant time out there. Tyrone also has the ability of moving to the corners and playing very quality defense in the corners.
“So we’ll see where that shakes out but I’m really happy to have two premium defensive center fielders going into the season.”
Brett Baty as utility-man
While Alonso remains a free agent, Stearns said the club still views Mark Vientos as the third baseman. For Baty, who began last year as the team’s starter at the hot corner before struggles sent him to Triple-A for the remainder of the campaign, his path to the big leagues could be about versatility.
“Brett did a great job last year of creating some positional versatility for himself,” Stearns said. “We feel comfortable with him at second base. I think he has the ability to flex into the outfield if we need him to do that. I think Brett has done a really nice job of giving himself some options in different ways he can impact the team.”
Stearns said that Baty’s ability to play multiple positions is a very valuable skillset to have and that he could “potentially” fill the role of utility-man on the Mets’ roster.
