These 4 Mets roster issues must be solved by Opening Day

In the last few days, it has felt like baseball season in the metropolitan area.

In a little more than two weeks, Mets baseball will return to Citi Field. And the club has seen encouraging results up and down its roster following a transformative offseason.

"A lot of times you come to spring training with a veteran team and everyone's really just got Opening Day circled and is counting down the days to Opening Day," David Stearns told reporters on Monday, March 9.

"And I think what we felt here is guys are taking every single day seriously. They're going out, they're getting their work in. They're working very well with our coaching staff. It's been really good to see."

With the regular season right around the corner, and the World Baseball Classic heating up, there are still two important weeks of Grapefruit League action to get the group in line. Here are four big storylines with two more weeks of spring games on the slate:

Will Carson Benge do enough to claim right field?

Tough decisions can be good decisions this time of year, and the Mets appear to have that in right field.

Each of the candidates to fill that spot is having a strong spring.

Mike Tauchman, who was brought on as spring training began, has reached base 50 percent of the time, including four extra-base hits with a home run. MJ Melendez is 4-for-11 with two home runs and five RBI. Each of those contenders has an OPS above 1.200.

Then there's Carson Benge, MLB's No. 16 prospect who is in his first major league camp. Benge is forcing a difficult choice as he's looking the part of a major league player, grinding at-bats, going to all fields and bringing a comfort into the outfield. At the plate, Benge is 9-for-23 (.391) with a triple, four RBI and four runs.

Neither Stearns nor manager Carlos Mendoza will concede that Benge has earned a major league spot, but his play is making his presence hard to deny early in 2026.

How will time be split up between Jorge Polanco, Brett Baty at first base?

The Mets have a conundrum with how to fit Brett Baty into their lineup, particularly given his success this spring. Baty, who was among the team's top offensive contributors down the stretch in 2025, has been forced from third base and second base with the arrivals of Bo Bichette and Marcus Semien.

In five Grapefruit League games, Baty is 6-for-13 with a home run, five RBI and three runs. He played his second game in right field on Tuesday after occupying first base a pair of times this spring. But if the left-handed hitting Benge makes the team, will that squeeze Baty out of an outfield role?

Meanwhile, the switch-hitting Jorge Polanco was brought in on a two-year, $40 million deal to help plug in the first base void left by Pete Alonso. But he now has just 15 innings under his belt at the position in spring training.

Mendoza will have his hands full to try and keep Baty, Polanco and Mark Vientos engaged throughout the 2025 season.

Can Mets go with a six-man starting rotation?

Over the last several seasons, the Mets have never broken camp without a notable injury in their starting rotation. In the last four seasons, Jacob deGrom, Justin Verlander, Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas all began a season on the shelf.

Will the 2026 season be the outlier?

If that is the case, Mendoza has another good problem on his hands. He said last week that the Mets "have six starters," which is true, but how does that impact his plans for his pitching staff.

Freddy Peralta and Nolan McLean appear prepared to lead the starting rotation. David Peterson and Clay Holmes both proved their merit over long stretches in 2025, and Manaea and Senga both need to bounce back.

With six starting pitchers, the Mets will be forced to carry one less relief pitcher. Is there a situation where the Mets could deploy a piggyback situation, as they did with Manaea and Holmes late last season? That could give the bullpen an opportunity to rest over the course of the season. Otherwise, the emphasis on Mets starters getting deep in games will be all the more important.

Which relievers will earn final spots in Mets bullpen?

The Mets have some clear players in their bullpen heading into Opening Day in Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, Brooks Raley, Tobias Myers and Luis Garcia.

With six men in the rotation, that leaves two spots for a relief pitcher, and roster constraints might make this decision difficult.

If the front office elects to carry two left-handed pitchers, Bryan Hudson, who has no minor league options, would be the logical option.

Craig Kimbrel signed a minor league contract with the Mets in the offseason but could make $2.5 million if he makes the major league club. The former All-Star closer is trending up as the regular season approaches with back-to-back scoreless frames including two strikeouts in his last two appearances. He could make a push to go elsewhere if he's not included in the Mets' early-season plans.

Huascar Brazoban has made a push to be included despite holding one more minor league options. The hulking right-hander tossed three scoreless innings in Grapefruit League action and added 1⅔ scoreless frames for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets roster decisions to make by Opening Day 2026