VIERA, Fla. — On the surface, it’s Daisuke Matsuzaka and Jenrry Mejia with one start apiece to prove their worthiness for the final spot in their team’s rotation, but it never is that easy for the Mets.
There is a strong possibility Matsuzaka already has won the job, but it could be Mejia who gets the start instead against the Reds on April 4 at Citi Field.
The Mets on Tuesday gave the veteran Matsuzaka a $100,000 retainer that allows him to be reassigned to the minor leagues if he isn’t on the Mets’ Opening Day roster. The transaction clears the way for Mejia and Matsuzaka to pitch during the Mets’ first homestand should Jon Niese not be ready for his scheduled April 6 start against the Reds.
“It doesn’t mean we don’t think [Niese] is going to be ready to pitch [on] the sixth,” general manager Sandy Alderson said. “It’s just that if he’s not ready to pitch on the sixth, it would be nice to have both Dice-K and Mejia available to us.”
But Mejia wouldn’t be a possibility if he were optioned to the minors. He wouldn’t be allowed to return until 10 days after the season starts, per major league rules, unless the Mets had a new disabled-list transaction. Since the Mets can reassign (not option) Matsuzaka to the minors, he could return if Niese can’t pitch.
Niese will begin the year on the disabled list, allowing the Mets to carry an extra position player for the first five games of the season. If Niese, who has battled recent elbow soreness, is deemed ready for April 6, it could set up a scenario in which Mejia makes one start for the club then is optioned to the minors, with Matsuzaka taking his place.
Mejia is scheduled to start an exhibition game against the Blue Jays on Friday in Montreal, with Matsuzaka slated for Saturday.
“We want to be cautious on the one hand, but we don’t want to be overly cautious and we want to take the right guy,” Alderson said. “Not the guy who is pitching the best at the moment, but the guy who gives us the best chance to win 90 games.”
Matsuzaka had his best outing of the spring on Monday, when he allowed one run over six-plus innings against the Cardinals. For the spring, he is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA.
Team officials have also been impressed with Mejia, who has rebounded from surgery to remove a bone spur from his right elbow. In three appearances this spring, he is 0-1 with a 2.89 ERA.
Matsuzaka has no experience as a reliever, eliminating him for consideration in the bullpen. Mejia has previous experience as a reliever, but the Mets do not consider him an option for that role.
“I think we decided [Mejia] doesn’t want to relieve or he hasn’t expressed a desire to relieve,” Alderson said. “We’re not sure that given his injury history, coming out of the pen, getting up and down, pitching on multiple days, back to back, is really in his best interest at this point.
“We want to run [Mejia] out there and see what happens. We think he’s got potential, and if he’s past the arm problems, then he can be an outstanding pitcher for us.”
Alderson indicated the Mets would like to get Mejia to 150 innings this year, perhaps allowing him to reach the 200 plateau in 2015. Mejia’s career high is 108 ²/₃ innings pitched.
“He pitched extremely well last year in a limited look, and there’s lots of upside there,” Alderson said. “There’s also lots of potential for injury and other impediments that he’s experienced, but that’s a decision we’ll make on Saturday.”