ARLINGTON, Va. _ Acknowledging a series of transactions telegraphed in the waning days of spring training, general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said Tuesday that the Mets' Opening Day roster includes both of their young first basemen, Pete Alonso and Dominic Smith.
"When players perform and earn opportunities, we as an industry _ and certainly the New York Mets _ will reward those players for those performances," Van Wagenen said. "(Alonso) showed us and he showed his teammates that he was one of those (top) 25 guys and he earned it. And that's true for Dominic Smith."
The Mets could have started Alonso in the minors for part of April to gain a seventh year of team control, delaying Alonso's eventual free agency. They did not let service-time considerations factor in, true to their word through the offseason and spring training.
