The team's top two pitching prospects spent several weeks in major league camp.
The Mets have sent Noah Syndergaard, Rafael Montero, Joel Carreno, Ryan Reid, Juan Centeno, and Brandon Allen to minor league camp. None of the moves are particularly surprising given the circumstances.
Syndergaard and Montero are the Mets' top pair of pitching prospects, but since they've yet to make their major league debuts, the Mets can gain an extra year of control by keeping either player in the minors until mid-April. They also have the option of keeping either player in the minors past the Super Two cutoff, a move that would delay either pitcher's arbitration by a year.
Of course, keeping either player in the minors for too long could be costly to the major league team. There's nothing wrong with keeping a pitcher in the minors until gaining that extra year of control or until he's truly deemed ready for the jump to the big leagues. It would be nice, however, if the Mets weren't beholden to the Super Two cutoff date in perpetuity.
As for the other cuts, Carreno and Reid were competing for bullpen spots, while Allen was first base depth, and Centeno was one of four catchers in camp. All four figure to begin the year at Triple-A Las Vegas.
