Inbox: How will Mets counter Harper deal?

We’re nearly at the midway point of Spring Training, offering a bit of perspective on what’s happening at Mets camp -- and what’s still to come. The talk this week has largely surrounded Bryce Harper’s signing with the Phillies, prompting the Mets to say they’re plenty confident in their own team. With that as a backdrop, it’s time for a dip into another batch of questions.

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Odds Mets make a reaction signing of a starting pitcher like Dallas Keuchel or Gio Gonzalez to counter Harper? Really can't imagine ownership and management being confident in Jason Vargas to hold down the back end of the rotation. No starting pitching depth right now.
--@tjpallan via Twitter

To the contrary, the Mets do believe in Vargas, and have talked up their in-house starting pitching depth -- Kyle Dowdy, Walker Lockett, Corey Oswalt and others -- all spring. When asked specifically about this situation on Thursday, general manager Brodie Van Wagenen gave his stock answer that the Mets will never stop looking for help.

“But,” Van Wagenen said, “we really like our team, we like our depth, we like our versatility and we think we're going to be able to win a lot of ballgames.”

That’s GM-speak for, “Don’t count on another major addition,” and it’s consistent with what Van Wagenen and Mets officials have said throughout the past month. It’s highly unlikely at this point the Mets add another major or even mid-tier free agent to their staff.

If the division is as tight as it appears to be, shouldn’t it be a no-brainer to bring up Pete Alonso to start the year? If the Mets are truly in win-now mode, a few wins in April can make all the difference.
--@Falcon_canary via Twitter

The front office agrees with you, and has made it clear that it will carry Alonso -- service time considerations be damned -- on the Opening Day roster if he deserves the chance. Van Wagenen, in particular, has said it so vocally and so often that he’s painted himself into a bit of a corner; he almost has to carry Alonso if he has a strong spring. If nothing else, Van Wagenen has convinced me.

So far, Alonso -- the organization's top-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline -- has held up his end of the bargain, batting .417/.500/.750 through four games. His defense has been shaky at times, but he’s also made some strong plays. If he keeps it up, I fully believe he’ll be on the team.

What if Dominic Smith and Alonso both play well enough to make the team? Will Mets carry both?
--@baseballgods16 via Twitter

That depends at least in part on the health of Todd Frazier, who’s going to require some first-base reps if he’s a full go on Opening Day. Given the nature of oblique injuries, I have trouble believing Frazier will avoid the injured list to start the season. So that being the case, I can indeed see a scenario, however slim, where the right-handed Alonso and the left-handed Smith both make the team.

Who would be your sleeper to make the Opening Day roster, if any?
--@ktroy1997 via Twitter

How about Rajai Davis, who’s on a Minor League deal and was emphatic this week in saying his goal is to break camp back in the Majors? Davis is off to a hot start, batting .444 with a home run through four games. He doesn’t appear likely to make the roster at this time, but one injury to another outfielder may be all it takes to change that.

Now that the Mets are closing in on signing Carlos Gomez, does this mean Jeff McNeil could see more playing time at third base? Makes sense to add outfield depth if McNeil will take more infield reps.
--@Metdolfan via Twitter

The two situations are completely independent. For now, the Mets see McNeil as an outfielder. That will change only if the injuries to Frazier and Jed Lowrie linger into mid-March, at which point the team will divert at least some of McNeil’s reps back to the infield.

The Mets’ interest in Gomez is as a depth outfielder, much like Davis and Gregor Blanco.

Is J.D. Davis a legitimate option to play third base?
--@B4Pitch via Twitter

Yes, he’s played significantly more games at third base than everywhere else combined in his professional career. If the Mets need Davis at third, that’s where he’s most comfortable.

Considering McNeil and Davis can both play corner outfield positions, do you think it's possible the Mets only carry one of Juan Lagares or Keon Broxton on their Opening Day roster? That way they could bring in another infielder or reliever.
--@KigzNYM via Twitter

Barring injury, I foresee the Mets carrying both Lagares and Broxton. The skill sets of those two may overlap, but Lagares is under a guaranteed contract and Broxton is out of Minor League options. Given the injury history of Lagares in particular, the Mets feel it would be prudent to hang onto both.

Do you think Vargas will be the fifth starter all season if healthy? If not, out of pitchers already in the organization, who would you say might take over the reins?
--@saharaLdesert via Twitter

That depends entirely on Vargas, whom I expect to have a bounce-back season. If he doesn’t, I see Lockett, Dowdy, Oswalt and even Drew Gagnon as likely options to take his place.

Why haven’t we seen Edwin Diaz in game action yet? Anything wrong?
--@BradyPSnyder via Twitter

Nothing wrong at all; the Mets are simply easing Diaz back into action, mindful of the career-high 73 appearances and 73 1/3 innings he logged last season. Diaz is slated to make his Grapefruit League debut Saturday against the Astros.

Why are all the Spring Training games in the daytime when, during the regular season, the majority of the games are at night? Shouldn't they play under the same conditions as the regular season?
--@MaryL1973 via Twitter

It’s an anachronism from the days when even regular-season games took place during the day. It allows players to work out early in the morning, when the sun isn’t quite so hot, then go home and get on with their lives.

If there’s a disadvantage to this system, it manifests itself early in April, when players try to adjust back to a night schedule. Like recovering from jet lag, it can take time. At some point, some enterprising team is going to start playing all of its games at night, for better or for worse. I don’t know who or when, but it will happen.