3 Up, 3 Down: Nearing The Spring Finishing Line

We’re eight days away from Opening Day.

Yes, the season has technically started, with the Dodgers and the Cubs opening the regular season in Tokyo. However, the Mets’ 2025 curtain raiser will take place in Houston next Thursday.

As such, we’ve reached the stretch run of spring training games, and the final pieces are starting to fall into place for this roster.

To that end, let’s revisit all the highs and lows from the last week or so of Grapefruit League games for the Mets…

3 UP

STAR ATTRACTION 

Juan Soto continues to turn heads and Opening Day hasn’t even arrived yet. The superstar hitter has been terrific so far this spring. And his exhibition exploits continued on Friday with a home run and two RBIs. Furthermore, Soto also made a nice sliding catch to record the first out of the bottom of the fifth inning against the Cardinals. The four-time All-Star is now hitting .357/.438/.857/.1.295 with 10 hits, four homers, two doubles, four walks and eight RBIs this spring. With the meaningful games just over a week away, Soto already looks locked in and ready to get down to some real business.

RISING STAR

Keep an eye on Ryan Clifford over the coming months. Metsmerized’s No. 8 ranked prospect is undoubtedly making a name for himself. The slugger hit a home run in a major league spring training game against the Astros. Then, in the spring breakout game with the Nationals, Clifford went yard again. He was also named to the All-Spring Breakout team. Able to hit for power and draw walks, Clifford is certainly generating plenty of buzz. As such, maybe it won’t be surprising to see the 21-year-old called up to The Show at some point in 2025. He certainly has the skills needed to profile as a legitimate weapon at DH, both in the short and long term. Furthermore, he could be good enough to become the team’s first baseman of the future eventually. We certainly caught a glimpse of his potential over the last week or so.

FINISHING STRONG

Griffin Canning appears to be a lock to make the Opening Day roster. And, at this point, he’s probably a lock to get a start in Houston, too. The righty has hardly put a foot wrong this spring, and he was dominant in his last outing on Monday. Canning struck out nine batters over 4 2/3 innings, allowing just one run. The 28-year-old now owns a stellar 0.98 ERA through two spring starts. Plus, he’s also struck out 16 batters through 10 innings while allowing just one run. Impressive stuff. The Mets need as many dependable arms as they can get in the rotation. Canning looks like he could be exactly that right out of the gate.

3 DOWN

PLAYING HURT

It sure feels like the Mets can’t get through a week of spring training without losing a body or two to injury. The latest casualty? Jesse Winker. Now, thankfully, the outfielder should be okay after suffering a calf cramp on Monday. However, while Winker should be fine for Opening Day, Jeff McNeil won’t be. The second baseman is expected to miss the season’s first few weeks with a mild oblique issue. Plus, Brandon Nimmo is still battling with a nagging knee injury that has severely limited him this spring. As a result, the Mets will be hoping to get through the rest of spring unscathed. After all, they will already be playing hurt when they open up the regular season in Houston with Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas unavailable.

LOSING OUT

At this point of spring training, it is all about fine-tuning and putting your best cleat forward. Especially if you are competing for a roster spot. Well, for Tylor Megill, that sadly wasn’t the case on Sunday. The righty struggled against the Astros, allowing four runs on six hits across five innings. Again, this is not what you want when battling to make the Opening Day roster. As has always been the issue with Megill, consistency has been a problem this spring. That could hurt his chances to break camp as one of the five starters. We’ve said this before but, again, Megill must be more reliable on a regular basis if he wants to stick around long-term in 2025.

HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF 

Francisco Lindor went 2-for-4 against the Rays on Monday—a productive day. However, the shortstop is hitting just .195/.283/.244/.527 this spring with no home runs. Now, granted, results don’t matter this time of year. However, in Lindor’s case, maybe they do. After all, the four-time All-Star is famous for enduring sluggish starts to the season. He was mired in an all-time slump to begin 2024 before turning the ship around. So, again, perhaps worrying about a quiet spring and another slow start with Lindor is counterproductive. But, if the Mets really want to challenge the Dodgers in 2025, getting off to a fast start will be key. As part of that, having elite production from Lindor right out of the gate will also be crucial. Hopefully, what we saw on Lindor on Monday will be a sign of things to come as we edge closer to Opening Day.