00:00So, John, can I dig down on what I actually think could be an issue for the 2026 Mets, especially
00:06early on here?
00:07For a team with a $380 million payroll, there's some dead spots deep on their team.
00:14You know, they lost the game on Sunday with Richard Lovelady on the mound, a game where Sean Minaya pitched
00:20and he didn't give up a run.
00:22But three of the seven guys he faced got on.
00:25He had a throwing error.
00:27He still didn't crack 90 after all the talk of the adrenaline of the season.
00:31We'll get him there.
00:32And I felt like they're running away from using him as opposed to running to use him.
00:38Like, oh, he's going to be a big part of this.
00:40You know, I always think, don't tell me, show me.
00:44I haven't seen any sign of that.
00:47Mark Vientos, is there an actual role?
00:50I guess when Liberatore pitches against them in the last game of the series as a lefty for the first
00:56time, we'll see Vientos start.
00:59But it feels like not a great bench player.
01:02If the only thing you're going to do is pinch hit against lefty pitching, that feels like one of the
01:06smallest jobs you can have in the sport.
01:09If you're not going to give fielding or base running help, John, for a team with a big payroll, there's
01:16some depth stuff there that I wonder.
01:18And some of it, maybe when A.J. Minter gets healthy, some of it begins to solve stuff.
01:22What do you think?
01:24Yeah, Minter's certainly going to help.
01:25Raleigh's looked very good.
01:26So if you have two great lefty relievers, that's a plus.
01:29Obviously, that bullpen is not really that deep for a $380 million payroll, but that's, you know, every team's got
01:37issues, except maybe the Dodgers.
01:40But generally, every team, you could point to something.
01:43Yeah, that's a small role for Vientos, which is why they considered and offered him in trades to be the
01:50even DH against lefties.
01:54Most of the pitchers are right-handed, so it's a pretty small role for him.
02:00You know, it's unfortunate.
02:02I had such a big year a couple years ago.
02:04I kind of wish for him that he'd go somewhere and get to play and hit, because I do think
02:08he is a very good hitter,
02:09and he's probably a good enough hitter to be a DH, a full-time DH for somebody else.
02:15But, I mean, he's had a good attitude about it.
02:18You know, I wouldn't consider that a dead spot.
02:22I do think the back of the bullpen is really the issue, though, this team.
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