Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter |

When Steven Matz noticed Mickey Callaway striding towards him with two on and one out in the seventh inning on Tuesday night, the lefty shook his head and cursed. His reaction was a reasonable one: The last time Callaway removed Matz from a tight game, Seth Lugo blew a lead against the Braves.

This time, of course, proved to be different. Lefty Justin Wilson pounded his cutter in on switch hitter Francisco Lindor, who was batting right-handed, and Oscar Mercado -- another righty. He struck out both.

Wilson has lately proven to be a strong offseason signing by new GM Brodie Van Wagenen -- and a major part of the team's surprising bullpen resurgence. While still shaky in spots, the Mets' pen has progressed from terrifying to stable. Or at least stable-ish. However one chooses to describe it, the facts show tangible improvements since June.

The Mets (65-60, 9.0 GB in NL East, 2.0 GB of second Wild Card) continue their three-game series against the Indians at Citi Field on Wednesday at 7:10 p.m.

Here's what happened on Tuesday, in case you missed it....

Behind a strong start from Steven Matz and a late offensive eruption, the Mets took down the Indians, 9-2, on Tuesday night >> Read more

As the Mets head toward the homestretch in the regular season, it looks like they'll be losing a bullpen piece.

According to SNY's Andy Martino, Robert Gsellman has suffered a partial lat tear. And though his timetable hasn't been determined yet, it would need to be a speedy recovery to see Gsellman back on the mound at full health this year. 

Gsellman hit the IL on Aug. 17 with right triceps tightness, but there was clearly more to his injury after tests were done. 

The Mets (63-60, 9.0 GB in NL East, 2.0 GB of second Wild Card) are looking for the series win today against the Royals with Zack Wheeler on the mound. 

Here's what happened on Saturday, in case you missed it....

The Mets evened up the series with the Royals, winning 4-1 thanks to a brilliant performance from Jacob deGrom. >> Read more

The Mets (62-60, 9.0 GB in NL East, 2.5 GB in Wild Card) will face the Kansas City Royals (44-78, 30 GB in AL Central, 26.5 GB in Wild Card) on Saturday at 7:15 p.m. at Kauffman Stadium. 

Mets Notes

J.D. Davis is second in the National League with a .379 batting average and.440 on-base percentage since the All-Star break. Davis is not in the lineup after suffering a calf injury on Friday, however, Mickey Callaway said the issue is only minor and he could pinch hit. ... The Mets placed RHP Robert Gsellman on the 10-day IL with triceps tightness and recalled RHP Walker Lockett from Triple-A Syracuse. ... Wilson Ramos is currently on an 11-game hitting streak, tied for the longest active in the majors. ... Amed Rosario had nine hits between Wednesday and Thursday, which tied a Mets two-day record.

The Mets are down an arm in the bullpen.

Manager Mickey Callaway announced before Saturday's game against the Royals that Robert Gsellman is headed to the IL with triceps tightness.

Callaway had said after Friday's game that Gsellman had not been available to pitch, and now the team will be without him for the immediate future.

In many ways, the Mets' playoff run starts tonight at Citi Field against the Nationals.

The Mets have spent the better part of the past three weeks beating up on the league's worst teams, pushing them from being seven games under .500 to just a half-game back of the second Wild Card spot.

It's been a fun, wonderful run, but we will soon find out if it was a simply a summer fling or a true realization of their original expectations for 2019.

By keeping his best talent and replacing his No. 5 starter with an ace, Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen signaled to his players, Mets fans and all of baseball that he believes his team can still find its way into the 2019 postseason.

If there is a shot at winning around 35 of their remaining 55 games, it will be because the new Fab Five of Jacob deGrom, Marcus Stroman, Noah Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler and Steven Matz consistently pitch to their potential.

"I was praying we didn't trade any of those guys that we're being rumored about," Stroman said late Wednesday. "I actually think we can have the best staff in all of baseball."

When Mike Yastrzemski lofted a fly ball to left field off the end of his bat in the 12th inning on Sunday against the Mets, no one thought it was going to leave the ballpark. Not Yastrzemski, not Robert Gsellman (who threw the pitch), and not Mickey Callaway. 

But it kept carrying, Jeff McNeil ran out of room, and the ball dropped into the first row of the left field seats to give the Giants a walk-off win in the 12th inning.

After the game, Gsellman was blunt about whether he thought the ball was going to leave the park.

Mickey Callaway knew he'd have to rely on the Mets' bullpen on Tuesday night, and the group answered the call and then some against a potent Twins lineup, leading to a 3-2 win.

Before the game, Callaway set a 75-80 pitch limit for Steven Matz, making his return to the rotation after a brief stint in the pen. After 68 pitches over four innings from the lefty, Callaway turned the ball over to the bullpen, where six relievers combined to hold the Twins scoreless over the course of five innings.

Robert Gsellman, Luis Avilan, Jeurys Familia, Justin Wilson, Seth Lugo and Edwin Diaz combined to keep the Twins' bats at bay, allowing a Michael Conforto fifth-inning RBI single to decide the game. Callaway said after the game that he believed this was the bullpen's best overall performance of the season.

Robinson Cano's bat stayed hot after knocking a two-run homer in the eighth inning game-winning home run on Saturday. Cano had four hits on Sunday in the Mets' 6-2 win over the Marlins. >> Box score

Five things to know from Sunday's game

1) It only took one pitch for the Mets' offense to get going. Jeff McNeil knocked the first throw from Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara over the right field fence, giving his team the early lead. McNeil has notched a hit in each game this series against the Marlins, including a two-hit outing on Saturday. McNeil entered Sunday's game batting .350, which leads the National League. McNeil also hit a first-pitch homer on July 3 against the Yankees this year. 

2) Robinson Cano could be changing his fortunes on the road this year. Cano carried his home run momentum into Sunday, as he nearly hit for the cycle with four hits on the day. Cano doubled, singled, knocked a solo home run, and then singled again against the defensive shift in his final plate appearance. 

I wanna believe. But, despite what Mickey Callaway has told reporters, I know it's very unlikely the Mets will claw their way back into the Wild Card race.

Therefore, if Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen -- who addressed the media Friday -- concludes that the Mets will again finish with a losing record, he will give serious thought to trading more than just a few players this summer.

The fact is, while some on this roster helped get the Mets to a World Series in 2015, most were not part of that squad. And those that were on that team are either due for major increases in salary or they're about to be or will be free agents very soon.

The Mets' lineup couldn't solve Braves' pitching in Friday's 6-2 loss at Citi Field. >> Box score

Five things to know from Friday's game

1) Jacob deGrom continues to look more and more like the Cy Young winner that he is, giving the Mets another quality start. DeGrom went six innings, allowing three earned runs while striking out seven. The big blow against deGrom was an Austin Riley two-run home run in the top of the second inning. He finished the month of June with six quality starts and a 2.70 ERA,

2) Robert Gsellman couldn't get out of trouble in the top of the eighth inning. With runners on first and second and two outs, Gsellman hit Riley with a pitch to load the bases. Johan Camargo then doubled in two runs to push the Braves' lead to 6-2. 

Roughly 45 minutes before Mickey Callaway cursed out a Mets beat reporter in the clubhouse on Sunday -- with Jason Vargas threatening to knock the reporter out -- Callaway's non-move on the field arguably cost his team the game.

That non-move -- and questions about it -- helped lead to Callaway's blowup, but was then buried. Let's excavate it...

With the Mets leading the Cubs, 3-2, heading into the seventh inning, Callaway turned to Seth Lugo in the hope of getting two innings out of him. After Lugo worked around a one-out single while striking out two in a scoreless seventh, it was clear he didn't have it in the eighth inning as he allowed a hard-hit single to Kyle Schwarber before a one-out walk to Anthony Rizzo put runners on first and second with one out.

Mets manager Mickey Callaway defended his decision to not bring in Edwin Diaz for a five-out save in Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Cubs.

"We're not going to use him for five outs," Callaway said of Diaz. "That's the bottom line."

Instead of bringing in Robert Gsellman or Diaz, who had made one pitching appearance since last Saturday (12 pitches), to face Javy Baez in a two-on, one-out jam in the bottom of the eighth with the Mets up 3-2, Callaway opted to stick with Seth Lugo.

The Mets decided to shake things up with their coaching staff on Thursday, firing pitching coach Dave Eiland and bullpen coach Chuck Hernandez. Eiland joined the Mets last year and his departure was definitely felt by the pitching staff.

Jacob deGrom credited Eiland, 52, for playing a significant role in his success last season that helped the right-hander win the NL Cy Young award and that the pitching coach informed deGrom personally of the news. 

"Dave called me and I told him, thank you for everything you did," deGrom said before Thursday's game against the Cubs. "I'm going to miss him. He helped me out quite a bit last year. I'm thankful for the time that I had with him."

The Mets have fired pitching coach Dave Eiland, SNY's Andy Martino confirmed.

Eiland will be replaced by Phil Regan, according to Martino. 

Along with Eiland, the team has also fired bullpen coach Chuck Hernandez, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post. He will be replaced by Ricky Bones, according to Mike Puma.

Robinson Cano (quad) appears to be getting closer to returning from the IL. 

The second baseman, who was on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse, was with the Mets on Saturday in Citi Field testing his left quad in the outfield and taking batting practice prior to the game. 

According to GM Brodie Van Wagenen and manager Mickey Callaway, Cano was going through his pregame routine and they would assess on Sunday whether or not he is ready to be activated off the injured list. 

The Mets (33-36, 7.5 GB in NL East, 5 GB of second Wild Card) fell to the Cardinals Friday night, twice, losing a suspended game, 5-4, then the regularly scheduled game, 9-5. They return to face the Cardinals on Saturday at Citi Field at 7:10 p.m. 

Here's what went down on Friday, in case you missed it:

After blowing the save in Thursday night's suspended game, Edwin Diaz returned for the 10th inning to pitch again only to allow another run and take the loss as well. In the regularly scheduled game, it was Jeurys Familia who cost the Mets, blowing a one-run lead in the eighth by allowing four runs, including two home runs, in a 9-5 loss. 

As if the Mets needed any more questions about their bullpen, they may have another injury to deal with after Friday's game.

Robert Gsellman pitched a scoreless seventh inning for the Mets, but was then taken out of the game as part of a double switch. When asked about that move after the game, Mickey Callaway said Gsellman told him he was experiencing tightness in his back.

Callaway didn't have much more info on Gsellman, other than that he will get treatment and the team would go from there. 

On the premiere of SNY's new digital series 'Game On, presented by GEICO,' Robert Gsellman and Steven Matz audition for a spot on the show!

The best I can tell, 10 of the league's 15 teams in AL still consider themselves "contending," while seemingly only the Giants and Marlins are, at this point, set on beings sellers before the deadline.

At 28-32 and five games back of the last Wild Card spot, the Mets are presently among the NL teams riding the fence. To hit 90 wins, which is what it typically takes to reach the postseason, the Mets will need to play .560 baseball, which is not out of the realm of possibility. If this is going to happen, it has to start now, specifically this week playing the Giants and Rockies at home.

It's not going to be easy, though, especially with multiple key players underperforming, banged up, or on the injured list. Best case scenario, the Mets get themselves to be slightly above .500, and well within reach of the Wild Card by winning or splitting every series between now and the end of July. This level success would hopefully make them buyers.

The Mets began their six-game homestand at Citi Field with an extra-inning loss to the Giants, falling 9-3 in 10 innings. >> Box score

Six things to know from Tuesday's game

1) Noah Syndergaard gave the Mets a second-consecutive quality start, but the run support just wasn't there for him early on. Syndergaard pitched 6.2 innings, allowing three earned runs on 103 pitches. After the Mets did give him a lead in the sixth, he was noticeably unhappy when Mickey Callaway elected to pull him from the game in favor of Seth Lugo with two away in the seventh. He left the mound with a lead, but it wouldn't hold.

Jacob deGrom was rolling, got into a little bit of trouble, and then his hip cramped up.

He was kneeling as Adeiny Hechavarria made a throwing error which allowed the Diamondbacks to get their first run, and his hip cramped up. He was allowed to remain in the game after one mound visit, but after giving up a ground-rule double. Mickey Callaway and the team trainer decided to take him out. DeGrom was at 89 pitches when he was taken out with two outs in the seventh, and the Mets' bullpen proceeded to blow a four-run lead before they lost 6-5 in 11 innings.

"I was frustrated," deGrom said. "It just cramped up for a second. I just wanted to throw a couple of pitches to make sure it was fine and it was. It's a tough loss for us tonight and I wish I could've stayed out there."

The Mets (28-29, 5 GB in the NL East) rallied in the eighth inning for a 5-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks (28-30, 11 GB in NL West) on Friday.

They return to face the Diamondbacks again on Saturday at Chase Field at 10:10 p.m. when Jacob deGrom (3-5, 3.71 ERA) takes on Zack Greinke (6-2, 2.78 ERA). 

Here's what went down on Friday, in case you missed it:

The Mets put together a two-out rally in the eighth inning, with Carlos Gomez lining a pinch-hit go-ahead double to lead the Mets to a 5-4 victory over the Diamondbacks.

The Mets' bullpen had a different look on Friday, but the group got the job done in the Mets' 5-4 victory over Arizona.

After a crazy top of the eighth inning where the Mets jumped in front, Mickey Callaway relied on Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman to pitch the eighth and ninth innings, and the duo delivered.

"The more and more we looked at it, after they played catch they said they were okay. Dave (Eiland) and I talked about it, and (Jeurys) Familia and (Edwin) Diaz were down," Callaway said. "They have thrown five out of eight. Today would have been another three out of four for both of them. They've thrown a ton of pitches, and we just couldn't do it.

"I think taking care of our players and putting them in a good spot is always something that we're going to think about, as well as winning, and we had Lugo and Gsellman. Thank goodness (Zack) Wheeler stepped up and went seven for us. That was huge. Now, both Familia and Diaz have had two days off, and we're caught up. We felt like if we would have pitched them today, man, we're going to be trying to catch up for another week. Lugo and Gsellman stepped up big-time and got the job done."

The Mets will try to salvage a split of their four-game series against the Dodgers Thursday night at 10:10 p.m. on SNY. 

Mets notes

Jason Vargas doesn't typically pitch deep into games, but the Mets will need him to go as long as he possibly can Thursday as Edwin Díaz, Jeurys Familia and Robert Gsellman are all taxed. Díaz has pitched in three of the last four games, throwing 46 pitches over the last two days and said he's unavailable Thursday; Familia has also gone three of the last four, including the last two; Gsellman has thrown 41 pitches over the last two days. ... Tomás Nido steps in for Wilson Ramos behind the plate, while Dominic Smith is back on the bench with J.D. Davis starting in left field.

Michael Conforto blasted a go-ahead grand slam while Steven Matz tossed six strong innings to lead the Mets to a 7-3 victory at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday night. >> Box score

Six things to know about Tuesday's game

1) Steven Matz continued his string of strong performances again, holding the Dodgers to two runs on four hits over six innings while striking out six. His only mistake was hanging an 0-2 curveball over the middle of the plate to Cody Bellinger, who hit his MLB-leading 20th home run. Since Matz' disaster in Philadelphia, when he allowed six earned runs without recording an out, he has allowed more than two runs just once in his last six starts and has lowered his ERA from 4.96 to 3.55 in that span. 

The Mets won a wild, ugly game against the Tigers in 13 innings on Saturday afternoon at Citi Field >> Box score

Six things to know about Saturday's game

1) Leading off the bottom of the 13th inning with the game tied, 4-4, Tomas Nido smoked a homer to right field to give the Mets a 5-4 win. Nido's homer came after Hector Santiago escaped a bases loaded, one-out jam in the 12th inning before working a scoreless 13th.

2) With the game tied, 4-4, in the bottom of the 11th, the Mets wasted a golden opportunity to win. After a one-out walk by Wilson Ramos (who was pinch-run for by Steven Matz), consecutive singles by Dominic Smith and Todd Frazier loaded the bases for the Mets with one out. That brought up Aaron Altherr, who struck out swinging after getting ahead in the count 3-1. Things were left to Adeiny Hechavarria, who grounded out to the pitcher on a 3-2 pitch.

The Mets won a wild one against the Nats on Thursday afternoon to complete a four-game sweep >> Box score

Five things to know about Thursday's game

1) Trailing 4-3 with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, the Nats elected to walk Wilson Ramos intentionally to put runners on first and second for Carlos Gomez, who crushed a three-run homer to left-center field off reliever Wander Suarez to give the Mets a 6-4 lead. Dominic Smith had doubled to start the inning.

The Mets fell to a season-worst four games under .500 after failing to muster any offense or fight on Saturday in Miami. >> Box score

Five things to know about Saturday's game...

1) With manager Mickey Callaway's job status potentially in a precarious spot, the Mets gave an absolutely listless performance as they managed just one hit while losing their second-straight game to the MLB-worst Marlins. It was their fourth-straight loss overall. After Jeff McNeil led the game off by doubling off Marlins starter Pablo Lopez, 14 consecutive Mets were set down as he settled into a groove. This was the same Pablo Lopez the Mets scored 10 runs against last week. 

A day after their bullpen tossed 10.1 innings during Saturday night's 18-inning loss to the Brewers, the Mets have called up Tyler Bashlor and Tim Peterson from Triple-A Syracuse.

With Justin Wilson set to be activated off the IL as early as Monday, there are two reasons why it made sense for the Mets to demote Chris Flexen as one way to make room:

1. Flexen, no matter how he performed on Saturday night (he performed badly) was likely destined to return to Triple-A once Wilson returned.

It took an entire second game for the Mets to break a deadlock after tying it in the ninth, but Chris Flexen blew it in the bottom of the 18th as the Mets took a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to the Brewers. They fell under .500 for the first time this season. >> Box score

Seven things to know about Saturday's game...

The Mets struck quickly Friday night in Milwaukee but fell flat the rest of the game, losing to the Brewers 3-1. They've scored just two runs in their last three games. >> Box score

Six things to know about Friday's game...

1) The Mets took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning and couldn't muster another run. Wilson Ramos drove in Robinson Canó with a two-out single. The Mets had three hits in the first inning but had just four hits over the final eight innings and zero hits from the sixth through the eighth.

The Mets' 5.57 team ERA is the third-worst in the majors, better than only the Orioles and Red Sox. But manager Mickey Callaway isn't ready to sound the alarm.

"It's not concerning," Callaway said at Citi Field before Monday night's game against the Phillies, noting that the sample size is far too small for the team to be worried.

Is Callaway right to not be alarmed? Maybe...

The Mets began a 13-game stretch last week that included 10 games against the Phillies and Braves.

I believed the Mets would need to win at least six of those 10 games -- which would put them around 14-10 heading into their next homestand -- to avoid hitting the panic button too early.

To date, they have won just two of seven during this stretch, with three left against the Phillies, whom they will play at Citi Field after beginning a three-game series Friday against the Cardinals in St. Louis.

If the Mets are going to be this careful about protecting Edwin Diaz, refusing to use him in the highest of high-leverage eighth-inning spots Monday night against the Phillies, then there's only one way to justify such caution:

Go sign Craig Kimbrel. And do it quickly before someone else does.

It's the obvious take, I know, and it might make for a touchy situation as to who gets the ninth inning if the Mets actually were to sign him.

The Mets (10-6, first place in the NL East, 0.5 game up on second place Phillies) face the Phillies in Philadelphia on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. 

Here's what went down on Monday in case you missed it...

In the Mets' wild 11-inning win over the Phillies, Edwin Diaz was held back until the save situation and proceeded to blow the heart of Philadelphia's order away >> Read more

Mets manager Mickey Callaway defended his decision not to use Edwin Diaz in a pivotal eighth-inning spot after Monday's 11-inning win over the Phillies, saying he wouldn't use his closer for a four-out save unless it was the playoffs.

Callaway said the Mets wouldn't have Diaz, who has a 1.35 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings this season, pitch more than one inning or enter in a tie game on the road.

After Jeurys Familia pitched into a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the bottom of the eighth in a 6-5 game, Callaway turned to Robert Gsellman instead of Diaz to try to escape the jam. Gsellman then walked in the game-tying run on four pitches to blow the save.

Michael Conforto drove in the game-winning run on an error in the 11th inning as the Mets overcame a blown eighth-inning lead to beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-6 on Monday at Citizens Bank Park. >> Box score

Seven things to know about Monday's game

1) Conforto's two-out liner off Rhys Hoskins' glove trickled into shallow right field, allowing Juan Lagares to score from second base ahead of Cesar Hernandez's off-line throw to break a 6-6 tie.

2) Edwin Diaz, who did not enter the game for a four-out save in the eighth inning, struck out the side in the bottom of the 11th as the Mets snapped a two-game losing streak.

The main Mets headlines continue to center around replacing Jason Vargas with Dallas Keuchel, and whether to sign Craig Kimbrel to beef up the bullpen.

Here are four under the radar stories worth noting...

1) Broxton is better than Lagares

Mets left-hander Jason Vargas was so bad on Saturday night against the Braves that manager Mickey Callaway seemed to be at a loss after the game while explaining what went wrong.

"He's just not getting outs at this point," Callaway said. "That's really all I can say."

Callaway said more, though, noting that the Mets might skip Vargas' next start and that the Mets "have to have other options" when it comes to the No. 5 spot in the rotation 

If the Mets have serious designs on competing for a World Series, the stated goal by rookie general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, they can't possibly plan on having Jason Vargas be their fifth starter the rest of the season.

After Vargas' latest debacle, in which he recorded just one out, was pulled after six batters and allowed four runs on two hits and three walks while throwing just 17 of his 36 pitches for strikes, it will be difficult for the Mets to justify even sending the lefty out for one more start.

"He's just not getting outs at this point," Mickey Callaway said of Vargas. "That's really all I can say."

As the Mets traveled north from Port St. Lucie, their bullpen looked to be a solid unit. New GM Brodie Van Wagenen landed the MLB's saves leader in closer Edwin Diaz and brought back Jeurys Familia to join Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo. Lefty Justin Wilson was also a crucial free agent pickup.

But this group has not gotten off to the start they hoped for in 2019.

As a whole, though, the seven bullpen arms - that includes Luis Avilan and Tim Peterson as well - own a combined 5.76 ERA to start the new year. Avilan has the worst ERA of the relievers, sitting at 16.20 after allowing six runs in 3.1 innings. Lugo is also struggling with a 8.10 ERA after allowing six earned over 6.2 innings.

Mets pitchers combined to walk 12 batters as they dug the team into a 12-1 hole. New York's offense erupted after that, helped by a terrible Nationals bullpen, but the late explosion fell short as the Mets lost, 12-9, on Sunday afternoon at Citi Field in the finale of their three-game series. >> Box score

Seven things to know about Sunday's game

1) Zack Wheeler was shaky from the start of the game, and while he escaped the first inning unscathed, the Nationals dropped a five-spot on him in the second inning with Wheeler unable to locate at all. That inning was especially ugly, with Wheeler walking a pair of batters, allowing a ground ball RBI single to Max Scherzer, and left fielder Jeff McNeil playing what would have been a sacrifice fly and the second out into a ground-rule double by Adam Eaton that made it 4-0 Nats...

The Marlins made a late comeback in the bottom of the ninth, but the Mets finished them off to sweep their first series of 2019 on Wednesday night. >> Box score

Five things to know about Tuesday's game

1) Jacob deGrom asserted his dominance once more, and collected a career-high 14 strikeouts in the process. Everything was working for deGrom in this one, as he mixed things up each time he went through the Marlins lineup. He allowed only two hits and walked one batter over his seven-inning, 114-pitch outing. DeGrom also helped himself out with a solo homer in the top of the third as well. The 2018 Cy Young winner just does it all.

The Mets' bullpen nearly let a 6-2 lead evaporate against the Marlins on Tuesday night, as most of the pitchers who came out of the 'pen struggled. And while Mickey Callaway's bullpen management was questioned during the game, something he revealed after the game made it even more curious.

Here are three reasons why his bullpen management -- which must improve if the Mets want to contend in a division that is expected to be the toughest in baseball -- left a lot to be desired on Tuesday night...

Lugo was left in while struggling -- and sick

In the wake of making the postseason in 2015 and 2016, the Mets have gone 147-177, fired their manager, watched the face of their franchise retire, and have taken a gamble by hiring a former agent to lead their revival.

In five months, Brodie Van Wagenen has modernized the organization's front office and staff, has added five former All Stars, stabilized the depth and back end of the roster, and inked Jacob deGrom to a contract extension. At the same time, during the past two years, a shift has been created in the NL East with a large crop of young talent emerging and older players either leaving or switching teams.

The dust has settled and, to the surprise of most New York fans -- myself included -- the Mets are projected to contend for the NL East title. However, so are three other teams...

Danny Abriano, SNY.tv | Twitter |

With Opening Day one week away, things are starting to come into focus for the Mets. Here's how we see things shaking out in our 25-man Roster Prediction 3.0...

Starting Rotation (5)

1. Jacob deGrom, RHP
2. Noah Syndergaard, RHP
3. Zack Wheeler, RHP
4. Steven Matz, LHP
5. Jason Vargas, LHP