Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
With pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training in less than a month, the Mets roster is largely set. Despite additions of big names like Justin Verlander and Kodai Senga, and important bullpen pieces like Brooks Raley and David Robertson, the team still has small holes. (A Carlos Correa signing would’ve plugged one in a big way, but alas.) Surefire bullpen depth and right-handed hitting depth in the outfield are two of them.
At a press conference on Tuesday to introduce Adam Ottavino and Omar Narváez, general manager Billy Eppler said the team is still engaged in the market for outfielders and relievers. He said they’ve looked at free agents and the trade market. “Whether anything actually comes to fruition remains to be seen,” Eppler said. Though he said the team has a “strong a deep lineup,” there are always ways for the team to get better.
Over the last week, the Mets have been tied to bats like Tommy Pham, Andrew McCutchen and Trey Mancini. The latter two have signed with teams, so the free agent market on that end is a struggle after Pham and Adam Duvall. Free agent relievers like Zack Britton, Andrew Chafin, Will Smith, Brad Hand, Michael Fulmer and more are still available, though.
Some other notes from the press conference include:
- Eppler wouldn’t say if he’s had extension talks with Pete Alonso or Jeff McNeil, noting that he likes to keep those conversations “internal.”
- He couldn’t comment on the Correa situation
- He believes that a contact approach at the plate will get rewarded in 2023 because of the shift rules, but he wants the organization’s hitting philosophy to include contact, power and getting on base.
