The glowing reports on the Frazier acquisition are still coming in. But there’s plenty of other buzz surrounding the Mets camp…

Rivera The Odd Man Out?

This is not a good time for Mets infielder, T.J. Rivera. Not only in the throes of rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, but he’s also trying to grapple with the news of the arrival of Todd Frazier. Noted primarily for his bat, Rivera tries to put a positive spin on his predicament and future with the Mets.

Abbey Mastracco, NJ.com “I kind of knew they were going to do something like that,” Rivera said. “And I hope to meet him here soon and be a positive as I can about that, because right now, I’m on the shelf. And I’m just going to try to get back to playing. That’s the most important part.”

Rivera hit .290 with 27 RBIs last season and owns a career OPS of .780. There is no firm prediction as to when he’ll even begin baseball activities.

Mets Looking For Rotation Addition

Both MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo and the New York Daily News’ John Harper reported Tuesday that the Mets could look to the open market for some support in the rotation.

Writing for MLB.com, Steve Adams adds that:

Steve Adams, MLB.com DiComo suggests that the Mets are keeping an eye out for rotation help but don’t consider it as much of a priority as an infielder was, whereas Harper characterizes the need a bit more aggressively, writing that a source told him that the Mets are “serious” about looking at rotation possibilities. Meanwhile, the Record’s Matt Ehalt suggests that if the team adds a rotation arm, it’ll likely be an affordable source of innings rather than a top starter with draft compensation attached (Twitter links). Ehalt also notes that a lefty reliever is another area of focus for the Mets.

Buoyed perhaps by the positive reaction to Frazier’s signing, the Mets could be taking a turn in the direction of their thinking by opening the pocketbook just a bit more. In a weak division aside from the Nationals, the Mets may be starting to realize they could steal a Wild Card spot in the playoffs with just one more move or two.

Resting on the health of their current rotation is a gamble that could be erased with the addition of a second-tier starter like Lance Lynn or Alex Cobb. Interesting, at least.

The Catching Is Fine?

Apparently, the Mets are willing to go full speed ahead with Travis d”Arnaud as their everyday catcher. Immediately, this opens the team up for a field day of criticism for not looking more seriously at Jonathan Lucroy as an upgrade.

To his credit, D’Arnaud is already in Port St. Lucie working out daily and looking to respond to his many critics this season. The good news about it all is that D’Arnaud seems to realize this is the end of the line for him a New York Met. Since his arrival in the trade that sent R.A. Dickey to the Toronto Blue Jays, the Mets have stuck with D’Arnaud through thick and (mostly) thin.

Sneaking up behind D’Arnaud and moving fast is Tomas Nido, an eighth-round pick out of high school in Florida in 2012, steadily is moving his way through the Mets system with tangible stats that reflect he is a legitimate prospect. Nido appeared in five games for the big club in 2017.

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