Three Florida keys for Mets' spring training
Mets designated hitter Robinson Cano returns to the dugout after he lines out to end the first game of an MLB doubleheader at Citi Field on Aug. 25, 2020. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
JACOB DeGROM AND HIS MAYBE HEALTHY RIGHT ARM
More than eight months since he last pitched, deGrom enters camp with significant questions about the health of his right arm. Last we heard from him, he was offering a curt denial in response to team president Sandy Alderson’s revelation that he had a minor tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, then didn’t comment at all when the Mets altered their plan to bring him back late in the season and shut him down instead.
Adding to the intrigue: deGrom can opt out of his contract after this season.
A series of arm injuries derailed deGrom’s potentially historic ‘21, which included a 1.08 ERA in 15 starts. Without him, the first-place Mets fell apart, ultimately missing the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season and finishing with a losing record.
Even with Max Scherzer joining the team as a co-ace, deGrom’s importance to the team remains. His availability is paramount.
THE RETURN OF ROBINSON CANO
Cano is coming to spring training after being suspended last year for a positive steroid test, his second PED-related offense. He is 39 years old and 17 months removed from his most recent major-league action, so it’s hard to know what he’ll be able to provide the Mets.
Still, they want to find out. That’s what camp is for. He might figure into the second-base picture with Jeff McNeil and the designated-hitter situation alongside J.D. Davis, Dominic Smith and others.
If the Mets deem Cano unworthy of a roster spot, they are allowed to cut him. But because the $48 million he is owed through the end of 2023 is guaranteed, they’d have to pay him anyway.
Credit: Jim McIsaac
WHO’S IN CENTER?
The Mets’ everyday outfield is poised to consist of Brandon Nimmo plus newcomers Starling Marte and Mark Canha, but club decision-makers haven’t weighed in yet on their alignment.
Public defensive metrics from last year favor a significantly improved Nimmo over Marte in centerfield, and Nimmo — a free agent at season’s end — has said he wants to play center. But did the Mets sign Marte to a four-year, $78 million contract intending to put him in a corner spot?
