Call to the Bullpen

They should stop with all this randomness and just assign relievers numbers in ascending order starting at say, 50. Had we done so, most recent Met Alex Carillo would be wearing 80 and and not 84, being the 30th guy to make a non-starting appearance in a Mets game this year (if I counted right).

Carillo survived a shaky inning and a third last night as the Mets did something they rarely do anymore and came from behind to defeat the Orioles in extra innings. Carillo will probably get cashed out today for his efforts if not already and we’ll move on to reliever No. 31, uniform No. 81.

Meantime I neglected to mention the Mets promoted bullpenner Rico Garcia the other day. A native Hawaiian, they were aware enough to assign the guy No. 50, joining Hawaiian-born Met luminaries Sid Fernandez and Benny Agbayani. Other Aloha State Mets (Ron Darling, Carlos Diaz, Jordan Yamamoto and Tyler Yates) went without 50.

Zach Pop has a classic name but between us looked like he didn’t even want to be out there in his lone Met appearance and was waived to make room for Carillo. Should have signed Zach Rock. That guy rocks.

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Pop Star

It sure looked like we were never going to win another game after that Pittsburgh series. What would be the catalyst? It turns out, a few unexpectedly effective bullpen games and a few Brandon Nimmo grand slams.

The big wheel keeps on turning. Several retreads have made their way back, like Chris Devenski and Austin Warren. Tyler Zuber, whom I thought they saw something in, was DFAed, as was Colin “The Pooch” Poche, who I think may have resigned a minor-league deal. Then there’s newly arriving reliever Zach Pop, who deserves to hang around just because his name is Zach Pop (he should pitch to Coco Crisp). New York, London, Paris Munich–everybody talkin about Pop’s uni. It’s No. 56.

Prepare for reckless speculation from now till July 31 about the Mets’ appetite for starters and relivers, maybe some from here. I’m officially starting the Zac Gallen to the Mets rumor. He wears No. 23!

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What’s the Difference?

I kinda liked Dicky Lovelady (57) in his maiden Met appearance–there wasn’t much else to like that night other than another Met debut for Frankie Montas–but Dicky was immediately designated for assignment after that Tuesday Night debacle so that Jonathan Pintaro could his place. I kinda liked Pintaro too even as he couldn’t close the door with a six-run lead he was right there with the rest of the bullpen, walking the first guy he saw. But I liked his wavy blonde hair, his gigantic butt and his short trunk.

Pintaro showed up rocking No. 91, but he’s gone too. In his place is Austin Warren, who I’d already forgotten was here already this year, and briefly conflated with Adam Warren, the former Yankees reliever. This guy’s different somehow. Wears No. 44.

Frankie Montas is in his customary 47. Hayden Senger in his customary 30.

 

 

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Dick Move

As the Mets encounter the worst stretch of the year, the obligatory recycling of fringe pitchers has come for the lineup. Francisco Alvarez was sent to Syracuse yesterday and Luisangel Acuna joins him there today as the reeling Mets make more moves.

The headliner is Dicky Lovelady (that’s what he prefers to be called) a lefty reliever let loose by Minnesota. He’s apparently here and suiting up in No. 57, most recently belonging to Kevin Herget who was a Met for about 15 minutes in April. Does anyone remember the last Dicky to play for the Mets? That was Dicky Gonzalez (39) back in 2001. I was at his debut; I’m pretty sure he lost to the Astros.

And back 15 years ago, I wrote a series of articles on Mets named Dick. Real mature.

Also back with the Mets is Travis Jankowski, who takes Acuna’s place. Jankowski you’ll recall played for us in 2022, becoming the answer to the trivia question “Who was the last Met to wear No. 16 before Steve Cohen in a desperate attempt to make the Mets look more historically formidable retired it”?

So this marks Travis’s second stint in orange and blue; he’s since played for Texas, the White Sox and the Rays, who lost him to free agency earlier this month. Jankowski is listed in 21.

Also you may have seen the debut for Mets reliever Tyler Zuber (53) last night; he’s since been sent back to Syracuse along with Blade Tidwell (40). I’m pretty sure Justin Garza (71) also got sent down as Dedneil Nunez returned.

As for Alvarez, he’s been replaced by Heyden Senger who can probably hit singles with the same infrequency. Acuna gets everyday play that got harder to come by with Ronny Mauricio hanging around. Tyrone Taylor is also likely to take a playing time haircut with Jankowski here. Jankowski takes no haircuts of course.

 

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Young Love

Wearing No. 29, batting lefthanded, tall guy with some power–it’s not Ike Davis (or Dave Magadan). It’s Jared Young! A journeyman slugger from Canada, Young suddenly appeared as the regular DH one day and hasn’t stopped playing since (at least against right handers). I will give earwitness testimony that his home run in Citi Field on Tuesday was the loudest shot in an inning full of loud shots. He hits the ball hard.

It’d be foolish to think Young is a sudden everyday big leaguer after a nine-year career with parts of all of them in minors (save for one season in Korea) but he’s the first real upside surprise of 2025, at least on the offensive side, and that’s a good thing when your team is dragging around Francisco Alvarez and Mark Vientos. He really reminds me a bit of MBTN favorite Kelvin Torve, also a lefty minor-league vet who got off to a hot start in Queens.

Elsewhere on the transaction front we’ve seen a shuffling of back-end relief workers. At the moment, Chris Devenski (49) is back up with the Mets and Brandon Waddell (82) is down. Waddell got smacked around by the White Sox the other day but leaves the Mets with a lone lefty in the bullpen. Genesis Cabrera (92) and Jose Azocar (28), cashiered for Waddell and Young, respectively, refused to participate in another go-round in Syracuse and found themselves new employers. Cabrera signed with the Cubs and Azocar is with the Braves.

The next big shakeup for the Mets could come when the pitchers start returning from the disabled list. Paul Blackburn is expected today.

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Who is this Guy

Lacking experienced lefties now that AJ Minter and Danny Young are down for the count, the Mets traded Cahs Considerations to Arizona for Jose Castillo, an experienced lefty reliever.

Castillo had an 11.37 ERA in six innings with the Dbacks this year but a pretty good rookie season with the Padres in 2018. The Mets have given him No. 54. They sent Dedneil Nunez back to AAA to make room (literally, considering how plump he appears to have gotten).

That we have a chance to win the series in the Bronx tonight is pretty encouraging considering how much the offense has been struggling. I can’t believe we won the Pittsburgh series either.

Go Mets!

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Like a Broken Record

Once that minor-league reliever rotation starts it’s hard to stop but these Mets are making history along the way.

The most recent round of callups produced the first-ever 82 and 92 in team history. Brandon Waddell, a journeyman lefty showed up on my TV wearing No. 82, the same number he was assigned in spring training as a non-roster invitee. A couple of days later, another NRI lefty, Genesis Cabrera, showed up wearing the 92 he’d worn this spring.

The activity was part of a flurry of moves set into motion when AJ Minter went onto the injured list April 27 and intensified when Danny Young joined him there April 30. To make the Mets whole again they’ve since welcomed and/or sent back Waddell and Cabrara, plus Kevin Herget (57), Jose Urena (54, already a member of the Blue Jays), and Chris Devenski (49). Ty Adcock and Austin Warren were summoned but not used before being sent down. Adcock was assigned the same 52 he had last year; Warren held onto the 44 he had in spring).

Dedneil Nunez (72) returned in the meantime, looking rusty, and starting prospect Blade Tidwell was up and back wearing No. 40

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Max Power

So it turned out I was wrong about Paul Blackburn in more ways than one. Not only has he been a member of the organization since last July 30 when acquired in a  trade from Oakland, but he also wound up on the 15-day injured list and not on the opening day roster.

Instead there’s Max Kranick, who if you asked me seemed to a suspect for previous Mets experience but in fact never arrived last year despite all the Sulsers, Jays and Adcocks they ran through here. Kranick wears 32.

Met history alert–The SABR Casey Stengel Chapter annual meeting is this Saturday March 29 at Scandinavia House 58 Park Ave. between 37th and 38th Streets. Details are here.

Disappointing first effort, no?

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New Year’s Day

In the few minutes I have this morning allow me to welcome you to New Year’s Day and thank you for hanging out for the 26th season of Infrequent Comment on Uniform Numbers and Stuff ‘Bout the Mets.

I think the word that best describes my mindset about this team is “curious.” It’s not necessarily excited or dreading. I mean they have to go out there and perform and hopefully they are ready, even if they didn’t look like it when I checked in last. It would be interesting had David Stearns communicated his gameplan on Signal with a journalist eavesdropping. But we have to take starting Clay Holmes on Opening Day as a solid move on faith.

Holmes is among the seven six new guys who’ll wear a Mets uniform on the opening day roster. They are:

19 Jose Siri

22 Juan Soto

30 Hayden Senger (reassigned from 98 and into NRI Oscar Azocar’s uni)

33 AJ Minter

35 Clay Holmes

46 Griffin Canning

58 Paul Blackburn

Plus we got Brett Baty in 7. Danny Young still hanging on and hanging out in 81.

Play Ball!

Update: Paul Blackburn was a Met in 2024. Or so they tell me.

 

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Taking Stock

Don’t look now but the season opens a week from Thursday and these Mets do not look ready. Nimmo’s got a knee thing. McNeil an oblique. Alvarez swung too hard and broke his hand. Montas is out, Senga is behind schedule, Manaea has something wrong with him. Dedneil Nunez will miss more time. AJ Minter has a hip thing. Ronny Mauricio is still out.

Also, small sample size and all, but I’ve watched two spring training games including the one this afternoon and can report they suck out there. Don’t get me wrong — wins and losses during spring training aren’t the point, but how they look matters, they look bad. They look like they’re 8-12 after 20 games, which they happen to be. That’s a 65-win pace over 162. That’s not encouraging!

Hopefully these guys get their stuff together when the bell rings because the first-half struggling they do every year is getting old and hurts them at the gate, even though I’m sure at some level David Stearns has figured out an advantage to winning a wild card only and coming to the postseason with momentum.

I guess the thing to watch in these last 10 days is who winds up taking Alvarez’ spot–will it be the guy wearing No. 85 (Jackson Reetz), the dude in 97 (Chris Williams) or the one in 98 (Hayden Senger)? There’s always a trade possibility too as teams have roster crunches around now. But let’s root for Senger, a 24th round pick who not only had a double and a pickoff today but like a real person is making ends meet as a Whole Foods stock boy. He’d be the first 98 in team history.

Let’s Go Mets! Win a couple spring training games already!

 

 

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