Bigger Things Ahead?

·55 min·5 clips

How is the Mets' roster depth holding up after losing Juan Soto to a calf injury?

Look, the record matters here. The Mets have not played perfect baseball, but taking three of four from the Giants changes the way this stretch feels. The roster looked deep. Soto going down in game two could have swallowed the conversation, and instead the lineup, bench, and roster flexibility kept giving them answers. In April, that is the kind of thing worth noticing. The host keeps coming back to the practical version of it: injuries happen, chances move around, and a team is in better shape when the next guy is not just a placeholder. No parade, though. The starters still have rough edges, Devin Williams made the ninth uncomfortable, and a couple of bats that matter are not close yet. Lindor is off badly. Bichette belongs in that conversation too. The host is not writing anyone off, but he is honest about the front office eventually needing a tougher talk if this keeps going. That is the tension of the episode. You can feel good about .600 baseball after tough losses and imperfect pitching without pretending the Mets have found some tidy winning formula. The San Francisco piece matters too. After looking weak offensively in St. Louis, the Mets went into a place the host does not see as friendly for hitters and still put up 20-something runs over three games. That is real. Chapman getting thrown out by Torrance also becomes one of those little breaks that can turn a messy close into a survived close. Diaz is the comparison point. The lesson is not that Devin Williams was sharp. It is that good closers sometimes wobble, work without their best stuff, and still get the last out. So the ending stays calm. With a day off Monday, the host lands on patience: the Mets are in decent shape, the competition caveat is fair, and the deeper roster gives them room to wait before turning April into a verdict.

As heard by us

A flexible Mets roster keeps a decent start afloat through injuries, uneven pitching, and a productive San Francisco series.

Talkin' Mets frames the week around a roster that keeps taking hits and still finding workable answers. The episode moves from losing Soto in the second game of the series to taking three of four from the Giants in San Francisco, then measures that lift against the messier parts…

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Want Mets roster depth, a three-of-four Giants series, and one uneasy ninth?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Talkin' Mets