Sandy To Meet The Press
Mets GM Sandy Alderson will address reporters from Tradition Field in Port St. Lucie on Friday, in place of manager Terry Collins, who is away with family due to the passing of his father. The press conference will air live on SNY at 11:00 AM.
I’m looking forward to hearing what Sandy has to say about the offseason, what’s cooking on the trade front, and his expectations for the season.
Player Options and Out Clauses
Adam Rubin confirmed that Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Wilmer Flores, John Mayberry Jr., Jenrry Mejia, Cesar Puello, Ruben Tejada and Carlos Torres are all out of options.
All of them should make the Opening Day roster except for Puello who may have to pass through waivers. As we’ve noted before, with Nieuwenhuis on the roster it most certainly means that Matt den Dekker will head to Las Vegas when camp breaks.
Marc Carig also reported that righty reliever Buddy Carlyle, who was signed to a minor-league deal in January, has an out clause in his contract that he can exercise by Opening Day. Carlyle, 37, had a solid showing in 27 games for the Mets last season, posting a 1.45 ERA.
Niese More Confident This Spring
Jon Niese told reporters he feels strong going into the 2015 season, saying: “I haven’t been this confident with my arm in probably three years.”
He also added that he should have started 2014 on the disabled list, rather than trying to rush back.
“There was a sharp pain in there,” Niese said about his shoulder pain last spring. He now believes he returned to the mound “way too early” and thinks he “kind of screwed things up in there.”
Edgin Not Worried About Workload
Josh Edgin told reporters that despite the Mets not making a move for veteran left-hander to add to the pen and a history of overworking their lefty relievers, he is unconcerned about his possible workload in 2015.
“It’s not really an issue. I’ve just gotta control myself,” Edgin said. “I can work, just put me in.”
Kristie Ackert of the Daily News adds:
Edgin, who was among the first cuts from the major-league roster last spring, has been here since early January working out with the team’s new strength and conditioning coordinator, Mike Barwis, and many of his teammates. After being sent to minor-league camp in the first round of cuts of 2014, Edgin started the season in Triple-A and worked his way back to the major-league club in mid-May.
“It was kind of like a reality check, I guess you could say,” Edgin said.
After being cut, he said it gave him a chance to work on mechanical issues — he was rushing his delivery — and his mental approach.
After he returned, Edgin allowed just four earned runs in 47 appearances for a 1.32 ERA and had a .196 opponents’ batting average against him last season.
Profar To Have Shoulder Surgery
And finally in some non direct Mets news, Rangers infield prospect Jurickson Profar will have shoulder surgery Monday according to a report from the Dallas Morning News. A schedule for when he’ll be able to begin rehab is pending the outcome of the surgery.
You may recall the Mets and Rangers reportedly discussed Profar, among other Rangers prospects, when the Mets were shopping Dillon Gee. However, Texas was mostly interested in getting both Noah Syndergaard and one of Zack Wheeler or Jacob deGrom.
Ultimately, and despite several offers from the Mets and several other teams, the Rangers opted to hold onto Profar because they found the offers to be weak.
