Spring training is finally upon us, and as customary practice, Luis Rojas met with media to discuss everything going on with his ballclub in his second season at the helm as the New York Mets manager.

Depth, versatility and expectations were some of the key buzz words uttered throughout the hour-long press conference. Here were some of the main takeaways we learned from Rojas in his first press conference of spring training.

COVID is Still Bringing Challenges to Camp

While it has nearly been a full year since COVID started to impact our daily lives, the virus is still present and impacting the way business is conducted for the Mets.

Over the Zoom press conference, Luis Rojas was asked about how this year’s camp compares to all of the challenges that the Mets had to deal with last year, and it appears to be more of the same.

“It’s as challenging, we are trying to keep everyone healthy entering camp and throughout camp as well as we are trying to compete out there.” Rojas explained.

All of the pitchers and catchers have reported to camp, but intake is still ongoing according to Rojas. Major League Baseball did not establish a clear plan for restart until recently, so getting everyone to travel to Port St. Lucie and have enough time to quarantine and pass the intake protocols has been a challenge.

Obviously the main goal for the Mets is to get everyone into camp healthy and ready for the upcoming season. That process is just made more complicated due to the protocols associated with COVID.

Pitching Depth 

One of the running themes throughout the press conference was talking about the Mets pitching staff and the depth that has been added this offseason. Along with the starters who are near-locks to be in the rotation (Jacob deGrom, Marcus Stroman, Carlos Carrasco and David Peterson) Rojas mentioned a long list of pitchers who enter camp with experience as starting pitchers. That group includes the following:

One of the more interesting aspects to discussing his pitching staff was how Rojas continued to refer to Seth Lugo as a potential candidate to be a starter.

The assumption during the offseason has been that Lugo was likely be heading back to the bullpen this season, but on multiple occasions Rojas said that Lugo could have factored into the mix of guys angling for the starting rotation, had he not gotten injured.

Rojas also did mention that the Mets will look to deploy their pitching depth in a lot of different ways, with the use of an opener being on the table this year as well.

Embracing Defensive Versatility 

Anthony DiComo of MLB.com asked Rojas if Dominic Smith was slated to be the Mets everyday left fielder and his response was more focused on his versatility.

“Dom’s versatility has always been important to us, we talk about him playing first, playing left, that’s something that we are looking at, to maintain it.”

Rojas did concede that since Pete Alonso does not have that versatility to play other positions, Smith will likely see more of his playing time out in left field, but he still expects him to play first base too. Rojas said that they are comfortable with Smith out in left field, but also mentioned that Tony Tarasco will be working with him as the new baserunning and outfield coach.

When it comes the rest of the roster, Rojas continued to speak of versatility, wanting to keep guys comfortable playing as many positions as possible to help the team win games. Players like Jeff McNeil, J.D. Davis, Jonathan Villar, Luis Guillorme, Brandon Nimmo, Albert Almora, Kevin Pillar and Jose Martinez will all likely see playing time at multiple positions throughout spring training.

It appears like the only players that are really locked into one position are Francisco Lindor, Alonso, Michael Conforto and obviously the catchers.

Michael Conforto and Francisco Lindor’s Extensions

An argument can certainly made going into this season that Michael Conforto and Francisco Lindor are the best two position players on the Mets roster. Unfortunately both players are in the final year of team control, as they will become free agents after the 2021 season if not signed to contract extensions.

One of the running conversations this spring training will surely be extension talk between these star players and the Mets and we got the first taste of that at this presser, as Luis Rojas was asked for his take on the impending negotiations.

While Rojas explained that he was not involved in those extension talks in any way, he did praise the leadership of both Lindor and Conforto.

“All they talk about is the team and baseball.” Rojas said. “Even though he is not here yet, Lindor is already portraying himself as a leader.”

The Mets manager is clearly ready to go into battle with those two young All-Stars, as he commending their strong presence both on the field and in the clubhouse.

Differences Between First and Second Year as the Mets Manager

Luis Rojas has certainly taken the road less traveled when it comes to his unique tenure as the New York Mets manager. Last offseason, the Mets hired Carlos Beltran to become the new manager, only to fire him shortly after due to his connection to the 2017 Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal.

Rojas was then thrust into the spotlight as the Mets new manager, only to have his first camp derailed by a global pandemic. He then had to manage a team through unprecedented circumstances in a 60-game season, with the backdrop of the team being sold drawing headlines all year long.

Needless to say, year two should certainly present less obstacles for Rojas, even with the continued health and safety concerns over the Coronavirus.

Rojas did talk about new ownership and the level of expectations that have come from that change. The Mets are looking to really contend this season, which brings an extra layer of excitement to camp this year.

Those new expectations also translate off the field, as the franchise is going through an overhaul with Cohen in charge. The use of analytics is already being implemented more, as Rojas cited the extra man-power they now have to analyze the data and use it instruct their players.

Rojas was also asked about all of the unfortunate attention the Mets have received this offseason due to the mistreatment of women from former employees Jared Porter and Mickey Callaway, as well as today’s report about former hitting coordinator Ryan Ellis.

“New avenues have been created to report cases like this.” Rojas said, “We should have a safe environment to work at here.”

The New York Mets are entering a new chapter of their history, with the goal of becoming one of the model franchises in MLB. Obviously there is a lot of work to be done, but the hope is that this eye-opening offseason has put the Mets on the right path.

With all of the changes that have come under Steve Cohen, it was not guaranteed that Rojas would be back to manage the Mets this season.

Though after being dealt such a bad hand in his first season, it is great see Rojas get another chance to prove he is the right man for this job.