New York Mets: Four Players Who Should Make the 30-Man Roster

One of the rumors of the MLB’s season proposal is the expanded rosters that come with it. The potential 30-man rosters will allow the New York Mets to carry some extra depth throughout the season. Here are four players who can add the extra punch the team needs.

Drew Smith

Drew Smith had a projected timetable of April-May to return to game action from Tommy John Surgery. The extended time off should put him a position to pitch in spring training games. During his rookie season in 2018 he pitched in 27 games and had a 3.54 ERA. Smith is a very underrated part of the Mets bullpen and is still only 26 years old.

The biggest question comes in how he bounces back from the surgery. Smith has above-average stuff and the lack of urgency to pitch on back to back days with expanded rosters will help his case to make the roster. Even if he is not ready for the first month, he can play a part during the final two.

Rene Rivera

The luxury of having a third catcher is a tough decision, especially when the DH is going to be universal. Rene Rivera is the best defensive catcher in the organization and knows the pitching staff the best. He ranks over Tomas Nido, in my opinion, and hold real value with his defense.

The bat lags behind Wilson Ramos but the Mets could opt to make Ramos a DH for a majority of the season while the combination of Rivera/Nido handled a bulk of the catching. It limits the extra at-bats for Dominic Smith and Yoenis Cespedes but it helps the weakness of controlling the running game.

Daniel Zamora

With Justin Wilson as the only left-hander in the bullpen, Daniel Zamora is a clear cut candidate to land a job. He has less than 20 career innings but has shown the ability to get Bryce Harper and Freddie Freeman out. Zamora’s role changes due to the three batter minimum rule but he did a terrific job getting out hitters from both sides of the plate during spring training.

Andres Gimenez

Is Andres Gimenez ready for an everyday role? Not quite yet but the 21-year old is on the fringe of stardom. The only way he should make the big league roster is if the entire minor league season is canceled. Instead of keeping him around to wait for 2021, he will receive the major league experience.

His role would feature more pinch-running and defensive opportunities. The roster is clogged as is, but it will be enticing to put the rookie in to start a few games. Unlike most of the roster, he is an unknown commodity who has the potential we saw from Amed Rosario in the second half of 2019.