Mets manager Carlos Mendoza has already had to have a few difficult discussions early in spring training. He’s informed José Buttó, a natural starter, that he’ll be working out of the bullpen this season and told Tylor Megill,

Megill appears likely to have a spot in the Opening Day rotation if Sean Manaea (oblique) begins the season on the injured list, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports. Frankie Montas (lat) was already expected to be sidelined into May,

Blackburn is understandably a little behind the likes of Tylor Megill, who is reportedly furthest along of Blackburn and Griffin Canning, all of whom are competing for the final two spots in the Mets' six-man rotation.

Canning may be the favorite to win the Mets' sixth starter job, Will Sammon and Tim Britton of The Athletic report. His primary competition, Tylor Megill, still has minor-league options remaining, while Canning would need to clear waivers to be sent to Triple-A Syracuse.

The New York Mets re-signing Jose Quintana makes a lot of sense after losing Frankie Montas to injury, but MLB insider Jon Heyman revealed on The Baseball Insiders Podcast that the team is not interested in bringing him back.

The New York Mets have lost two of their top offseason pitching acquisitions in a matter of days. Last week, the Mets shut down starter Frankie Montas, who signed a two-year, $34 million contract, due to a high-grade lat strain.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters that Manaea will be shut down for a couple of weeks and likely start the season in the injured list. He joins Montas, who suffered a high-grade lat strain and will be shut down for at least another 5 to 7 weeks, on the sidelines to start the season.

Mets starting pitchers Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea both went down with spring training injuries, but the front office is not panicking.

There’s also free agent Jose Quintana. The left-hander is already familiar with the Mets after having pitched there in 2023 and 2024. He even played a pivotal role in the team’s quest for the postseason last season, allowing three earned runs in his last six starts (36 1/3 innings) for an 0.74 ERA.

The organization made a deliberate effort to load up on depth over the offseason, and this is precisely the reason why.

Without Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas to start the season, the New York Mets have reached a crossroads. Even before their injuries, the biggest weakness for Da