One of the things done during the offseason is to sign veterans to cheap contracts without the guarantee of a roster spot, invite them to Spring Training and see what happens. Typically these are Quad A type guys or guys who once were roster-worthy but who’ve run into injury problems. Frequently these guys end up as minor league depth but every now and then you hit pay dirt. Marlon Byrd and LaTroy Hawkins are recent examples of guys the Mets signed to NRIs who ended up making major contributions for the parent club.

Among those that the Mets brought in on NRIs this year were Roger Bernadina, Jim Henderson and Ty Kelly. Regardless of their individual success over the 2016 season, you can see the thought process involved. Bernadina is a veteran who can play CF, essentially a replacement for Kirk Nieuwenhuis. Henderson, a former closer, offers a potential late-inning bullpen arm. Kelly can play both 2B and 3B and is roster depth and a hedge against an extended injury to David Wright.

Henderson is the one who looks like he has the best chance to contribute, based on his Spring Training performance. In 8.1 IP, he’s allowed just 5 H and 1 BB and has 11 Ks. There’s talk he might make the Opening Day roster, fueled not only by his Grapefruit League performance but also a clause in his contract that states if he’s not on the major league roster by 6/15, he can opt out of his contract. A mid-June date doesn’t have an extreme sense of urgency but it’s not something to forget, either.

Frequently, one thing to keep in mind when assembling a 25-man roster is to figure out who’s on the 40-man roster and who isn’t. Those already on the 40-man typically have a leg up in the competition. MLB.com lists 40-man rosters for each team but right now the roster isn’t up to date, as it includes all players who were in camp for the major league team.

Counting twice, I came up with 39 players on the 40-man meaning, if my count was accurate, that the Mets have an open spot for Henderson. Not only that, one of the players on the 40-man was Zack Wheeler, who can be moved to the 60-day DL and not have his spot count against the 40-man. If my original number was right, that means the Mets have the ability to add Johnny Monell to the 40-man, too.

MORE TO LIFE THAN JUST RADAR READINGS – One of the big stories this Spring has been the drop in velocity from Jacob deGrom, who was topping out in the low 90s after being consistently in the mid 90s last season. Meanwhile, deGrom has had great success during Grapefruit League play, with a 1.62 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP. Saturday, deGrom’s top velocity went up to 94. While still not exactly what we’re used to seeing, the trend is in the right direction and the results speak for themselves.

POWER STILL OUT IN ST. LUCIE – Last week, it was noted that the Mets were having a poor Spring when it came to HR production. While no one should lose their mind over Grapefruit League results, it’s something worth keeping an eye on going forward. Assuming perfect health, the eight position players expected to be in the Opening Day lineup have combined for 3 HR in 229 AB. After 229 ABs we would expect nearly 8 HR from a 20-HR/600-AB pace.

UNDESERVED PROSPECT LOVE UPDATE – At the conclusion of our top 50 prospect series, we did an epilogue where we talked about guys who individually we thought were under or overrated by the group and guys who we thought should have been on the list but who weren’t. Here was my pet prospect:

And as long as we’re talking about subjective views and personal preferences, I’m still holding out hope for Ivan Wilson, despite all evidence to the contrary.

So, here’s a Wilson update. MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo spoke with Mets Director of Minor League Operations Ian Levin, who had this to say about the team’s third-round pick in the 2013 Draft:

“He’s made a lot of improvements,” Levin said. “He’s always had great tools and he’s been working on his ability to put them into games consistently, turning those tools into skills. He’s had a really good spring doing that and working on that. The results have started to show on the field.”

MORE MEANINGLESS SPRING NUMBERS – Bartolo Colon and Steven Matz have combined for 25 ER in 30.2 IP … Antonio Bastardo has surrendered 7 ER and 4 BB in 9 IP … When we last saw him, Jerry Blevins was working on a no-hitter. So far in Florida, he’s allowed 7 H in 7.1 IP and has a 4.91 ERA … Noah Syndergaard has 1 BB and 19 Ks in 17 IP … Wilmer Flores is batting .326 with more walks (8) than strikeouts (7) … Alejandro De Aza is tied for 2nd on the club with 39 ABs and he’s batting .410 with a .977 OPS.

RALLY PARAKEET, PART II – On August 12th, a bright yellow bird showed up at Citi Field and watched the game with the crowd, much to the delight of everyone involved with the Mets’ season. For a few days, this bird sighting took on a life of its own, with the Mets holding discussions to use Rally Parakeet to replace Steve Gelbs. OK, I made that last one up. But Rally Parakeet was a good thing and it ranked right up there with Colon’s behind the back flip for an out as completely unexpected moments that will live on forever in team lore.

There was another unexpected bird sighting recently which made me think of Rally Parakeet. This past Friday, at a Bernie Sanders rally in Oregon, a finch appeared and hung out with Sanders at the podium, as the crowd was as pleased as that Mets crowd back in August.

While researching to identify what type of bird it was, a random article from a random site had this about the symbolism of it all:

When finches come into our awareness it is a sure sign of prosperous and joyous times ahead. Finches are an omen of high energy and bright days on the horizon. Natives held the finch as a symbol of upcoming celebration. Finches are song birds, and their music heralds the bounty of spring. When the finch sings to our awareness it is a beckoning to unleash our own song. If we’ve been concealing our brilliance from the world – the finch is a sign to start making our value more audible and available to others. Its bird meaning deals with sociability too, and if the finch comes into your life it may be a signal to get more involved with social activities.

Let’s Go Mets.

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