PORT ST. LUCIE — Terry Collins is approaching the start of this spring training with the idea there are two vacancies in the Mets’ bullpen.
Without providing specifics Wednesday, the Mets manager indicated the two vacancies take into the account the likelihood closer Jeurys Familia will be serving a suspension to begin the season after his October arrest on domestic violence charges.
Addison Reed, Fernando Salas, Jerry Blevins and Hansel Robles are all locked into bullpen spots to begin the season, barring injury. Josh Smoker, Josh Edgin, Erik Goeddel, Seth Lugo, Robert Gsellman, Zack Wheeler and Tom Gorzelanny are among those in the mix to complete the bullpen.
Collins indicated he would not be averse to carrying three lefty relievers, which could bode well for the veteran Gorzelanny if he has a solid camp.
“We will see how effective he is against lefties,” Collins said. “Because certainly having that experience down there will be a big factor if he shows us this spring he can get outs.”
Michael Conforto had an impressive batting practice, hitting several balls over the fence in left-center, into a stiff breeze.
“That is where he’s got tremendous power, and I think last year he got kind of caught up trying to pull the ball a little too much,” Collins said. “Therefore he got started early on his swing and became a little more susceptible to the breaking ball. Hopefully he comes in here and has a big spring for us, because I still think he’s going to be a big part of the team.”
The Mets announced plans to play their final exhibition game of the spring on March 31 at West Point against the U.S. Military Academy at 3 p.m. It will be the Mets’ first exhibition game at West Point since 1984.
“The Mets are proud to be able to continue the strong bond we have with out military and this is a new way to show our appreciation for the sacrifices and bravery of our nation’s armed forces,” Mets COO Jeff Wilpon said in a statement.
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