Projecting the New York Mets Opening Day roster

The start of the baseball season is just a week away and expectations are high for the New York Mets. A huge offseason has the Mets positioned to challenge the Atlanta Braves for the National League East crown thanks to a loaded lineup and a deep pitching staff. There are still reinforcements to come for the Mets as Noah Syndergaard, Seth Lugo and Carlos Carrasco are all working their way back from injuries that should keep them sidelined until late May. With that in mind, let's break down the Opening Day roster the Mets should go with if the season was to start today.

Catchers: 2

James McCann, Tomas Nido

This position is pretty easy as McCann, fresh off of his new four-year deal, will be the starting catcher and look to bolster the Mets as a two-way backstop. The backup spot should go to Nido, who is out of options and will look to build off a strong start to his 2020 campaign that got cut short after a positive test for COVID-19.

Infielders: 6

Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, Francisco Lindor, J.D. Davis, Luis Guillorme, Jonathan Villar

The lack of DH in the NL means that Alonso is locked in as the Mets' everyday first baseman, while McNeil moves to second base with Robinson Cano serving a 162-game steroid suspension. Lindor is a star at shortstop for the Mets, who are trying to sign him to a long-term extension before Opening Day, leaving third base as the only question spot.

Davis has the inside track at playing time but his questionable defense could lead to a platoon with Guillorme, whose glove has always been better and a patient approach at the plate could serve the Mets well at the bottom of their batting order. Villar adds defensive versatility and speed off the bench.

Outfielders: 5

Brandon Nimmo, Dominic Smith, Michael Conforto, Kevin Pillar, Albert Almora Jr

The outfield is also impacted by the lack of a DH as Smith, a natural first baseman, will get most of his at-bats in left field. Nimmo will also start in center but should shift to left in the late innings while Conforto is in a walk-year, which could lead to a big offensive output for him.

The backups are Pillar and Almora, each of whom is a solid defender in center. Pillar should get the occasional start against lefties while Almora has a minor league option so he could end up spending some time in AAA down the line. One player to watch down the road is Jose Martinez, who hurt his knee during camp but could factor in as a right-handed-hitting power threat off the bench once he is healthy.

Starting Pitchers: 5

Jacob deGrom, Marcus Stroman, Taijuan Walker, David Peterson, Joey Lucchesi

The top three spots are locked in but the 4 and 5 spots will eventually be filled by Syndergaard and Carrasco. Peterson has pitched well this spring to earn his job while Lucchesi just won a camp competition with Jordan Yamamoto, who was optioned to AAA Syracuse.

The good news is that the Mets do have some depth options to turn to if they suffer more injuries or someone like Peterson or Lucchesi isn't effective out of the gate. Besides Yamamoto, the Mets also have Jerad Eickhoff, Mike Montgomery and Corey Oswalt down on the farm as options to start.

Relief Pitchers: 8

Edwin Diaz, Trevor May, Aaron Loup, Jeurys Familia, Dellin Betances, Miguel Castro, Jacob Barnes, Robert Gsellman

Diaz finished the season strong as the Mets' closer and will begin the season in that role. May and Loup are the Mets' two key bullpen signings and should factor into the late innings, an area that should be strengthened once Lugo returns from the injured list.

Castro has had a strong spring and should earn more trust than Familia and Betances, both of whom should start in the middle innings. Betances has had issues with velocity throughout camp and could be a candidate to get designated for assignment if he can't produce early in the season.

The last two spots go to non-roster invitees in Barnes, a priority waiver claim for the Mets who is out of options, and Gsellman, who benefits from the late camp injuries to Drew Smith and former Braves' closer Arodys Vizcaino, who was already coming off of a labrum injury that has cost him nearly two years. Gsellman does have an option left so he can be sent down if the Mets need to make a bullpen move early in the season.