Though Citi Field is quiet on Monday’s off day, the Mets announced that their alternate training site at MCU Park in Brooklyn is officially open.
The stadium is the home of the Brooklyn Cyclones and sits steps away from the Coney Island boardwalk and beach. Workouts are closed to fans and the media.
An additional location will allow the team to spread its players out as Major League Baseball continues to figure out how it is going to play amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The Mets have not had any positive tests announced publicly.
Once the regular season begins, all players not on the active roster (including optioned players and non-roster invitees) will work out in Brooklyn, with activities including intrasquad games. Teams are prohibited from scheduling games against other non-roster teams.
With the ability to accommodate more players, the Mets added seven to their Player Pool on Monday. Heading to Brooklyn are pitchers Matt Blackham, Stephen Gonsalves, Jordan Humphreys, Franklyn Kilome, and Thomas Szapucki, infielder Jake Hager, and catcher David Rodriguez.
The Mets’ Pool now stands at 58 players, leaving two spots open for further additions or acquisitions.
Gonsalves, Humphreys, Kilome, and Szapucki are all on the 40-man roster and were left off the organization’s initial Player Pool, making their eventual additions slightly puzzling.
Gonsalves, claimed off waivers from the Minnesota Twins in Novemeber, is the only one with MLB experience and the chance to pitch in the majors this season.
Blackham, Hager, and Rodriguez were in major league camp as non-roster invitees this past spring. Hager and Rodriguez joined the Mets as minor league free agents in the offseason as organizational depth.
Blackham has the makings of an interesting relief arm, but as a 27-year-old who is scheduled to be a minor league free agent this offseason, time is running out for him to make an appearance as a Met. Getting added to the Pool is a good start.
GM Brodie Van Wagenen has continued to stress the team’s win-now goals throughout the first two weeks of camp. With only two spots left in the Pool, and the rules regarding the removal of a player, it’s highly unlikely that the organization’s top prospects get added anytime soon.
