Empire Writes Back
Fansided

New York Mets Announce 25-Man Roster For Regular Season

By Kenneth Teape

Mar 14, 2016; Lakeland, FL, USA; New York Mets manager Terry Collins (10) heads for the dugout before the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the Detroit Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 14, 2016; Lakeland, FL, USA; New York Mets manager Terry Collins (10) heads for the dugout before the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the Detroit Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The New York Mets open up the 2016 season on Sunday Night Baseball against the Kansas City Royals and we now know which 25 players will be making the trip.

More from New York Mets

The New York Mets wrapped up Spring Training and are now ready to get things started for real. They will start their defense of the National League East and National League Pennant on Sunday Night Baseball against the team that defeated them in the World Series, the Kansas City Royals. The Mets had a strong offseason so they had a good idea of which players would be making the final 25-man roster, but we now have the official roster.

There are two takeaways that jump out when reading through the roster. The first is that the Mets have decided to keep Kevin Plawecki around as Travis d’Arnaud backup. There were talks throughout the spring that the Mets would look to add a veteran backstop to backup d’Arnaud so Plawecki could receive consistent at-bats at Triple-A Las Vegas.

Not impressed with the options they had in house, or the options available via trade or free agency, the Mets decided to stick with Plawecki. This is probably the best course of action, as the Mets will not feel the need to push the injury prone d’Arnaud. With a capable backup in Plawecki, expect the Mets to give d’Arnaud a couple of off days during the week so that he can remain healthy.

The other noticeable move comes in the bullpen. The Mets had a couple of decisions to make there, and the final decision made was that Jim Henderson would be on the Opening Day roster. This will be the first time that Henderson is the in the major leagues since May 2014, as he underwent surgery on his shoulder that year and was in the minor leagues all of 2015.

More from Empire Writes Back

Henderson will join the bullpen right away in part because the Mets are unsure of what they will be getting from Matt Harvey. Harvey had an injury scare earlier in the week, but also struggled during the spring so an extra arm could be needed. Henderson beat out Erik Goeddel for the final spot in the bullpen, but his spot is far from guaranteed. With Josh Edgin expected back by May 1st, Henderson will have to pitch well for the Mets to secure a spot long term in the bullpen.

The other move in the bullpen that had caught people’s attention would be who landed the long relief/sixth starter role. That job was won by Logan Verrett, who beat out last season’s Rule 5 pick Sean Gilmartin. Gilmartin will work as a starting pitcher in Las Vegas according to pitching coach Dan Warthen.

Here is the full 25-man roster the Mets will be taking to Kansas City with them to start the season against the Royals:

More ny sports: What were the most impactful trades made in last 20 years?

Infielders: d’Arnaud, Plawecki, Lucas Duda, Neil Walker, Asdrubal Cabrera, Wilmer Flores, David Wright, Eric Campbell

Outfielders: Curtis Granderson, Yoenis Cespedes, Michael Conforto, Juan Lagares, Alejandro De Aza

Starting Pitchers: Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz, Bartolo Colon

Bullpen: Jeurys Familia, Addison Reed, Antonio Bastardo, Jerry Blevins, Hansel Robles, Henderson, Verrett

Home/New York Mets