Buck Showalter Breaks Down Mets' Upcoming Roster Decisions
NEW YORK -- The Mets will have to make at least one difficult decision when rosters cut down from 28 to 26 players at the noon deadline on Monday.
While it appears that right-handed pitcher Yoan Lopez, who replaced Sean Reid-Foley (partially torn UCL) on Sunday, will be optioned back to Triple-A, the Mets will likely be forced to cut bait with a position player since they're allowed to carry 14 arms for an additional month.
When asked about what goes into making these types of roster decisions, manager Buck Showalter indicated that there are some additional factors that come into play, as opposed to just looking at the best 26 players.
“I think you’re looking at some other factors," Showalter said prior to the Mets' series finale with the Phillies at Citi Field on Sunday night. "It’s more than just that. Whether It’s depth, progression, how things might play out. There are a lot of factors. And there are some rules, whether options are concerned and different things, which puts things in a different light. There are also a number of options that each player has.
"There’s a lot of factors that go into it. Believe me, Billy (Eppler) and his staff have covered all of them."
Showalter believes the Mets will indeed go the route of removing one pitcher and one position player from the active roster, but indicated that things can change in a hurry, pointing to Reid-Foley's injury from the night before.
At this point, if the Mets decide to get rid of a position player, it will likely come down to Robinson Canó, Dominic Smith, J.D. Davis, Luis Guillorme or Travis Jankowski. But Canó and Jankowski do not have options. The Mets would instead have to release Cano, or designate Jankowski for assignment, who would then have to clear waivers. Smith, Davis and Guillorme all have options, however, the Mets would be losing their only backup shortstop in Guillorme, or the lone right-handed bat on their bench in Davis.
For the moment, it seems as though this last spot will come down to Canó or Smith. Heading into Sunday night's action, Canó, who has essentially become a part-time player for the first time in his career, found himself on the bench for the second straight day. This time it was against a right-hander in Zach Eflin, which is very telling.
The 39-year-old has appeared in just 12 out of 23 games this season, and is off to a dreadful start at the plate, slashing an anemic .195/.233/.268 with a .501 OPS, one home run and three RBIs. The Mets could ultimately cut bait with Canó, who looks like a shelf of himself offensively. But he is still owed $40.5 million across the next two seasons, so It's difficult to forecast whether the organization is ready to give up on him after just 12 games.
As for Smith, he's off to an ice-cold 6-for-36, but has played a total of 19 times between first base and designated hitter. At this date, Smith's role on the Mets has been more significant than Canó's.
In the end, Canó's lack of options could save him from being the odd man out when the deadline rolls around on Monday. Stay tuned for more to come.
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