Time To Cancel Spring Training

Boring spring trainings are a good thing. And  the baseball side of the spring has been refreshingly boring for the Mets. Sure, there are questions as to the health of some bullpen pieces like Jerry Blevins and Jim Henderson, but otherwise, things are going fairly swimmingly unless you’re a prize winning pig. (R.I.P., Pig.)

With the injury to Asdrubal Cabrera’s knee keeping him out of spring training for two weeks, it has officially made the rest of spring inconsequential. What Cabrera’s injury means … in the larger picture if not the more important picture … is that Ruben Tejada probably isn’t going anywhere for the near future. If Cabrera comes out of spring training unscathed, Tejada is probably a redundancy who is better served traded for a backup first baseman so that Wilmer Flores can be a utility guy at the more familiar position of shortstop rather than be the default backup to Lucas Duda at first base. But even if Cabrera recovers and enters the season healthy, I would think the Mets would be hesitant to wheel Tejada until they’re sure that this injury isn’t going to be chronic. The last thing the Mets need is to trade Tejada only to have Cabrera hurt again in May while Wilmer Flores is already playing third base for a slowly recovering David Wright.

Oops.

So the little chance there was of Tejada leaving the Mets is gone … at least through the All Star break if not the entire season. That, along with Rafael Montero being sent down has taken pretty much all of the drama out of spring training. So I advocate cancelling the rest of the spring season. Nothing good can come of it at this point. No pulled muscles, no more sprained knees, no upper body injuries, no nothing. There are no roster spots up for grabs anymore. No reason to play.

Then again, Jerry Blevins hurt his arm crossing the street. Filthy Sanchez got hurt in a cab. And don’t get me started on Bobby Ojeda gardening. On second thought, these guys are safer on the field.

But to the larger point, we’re talking about who the 25th man on the roster instead of wondering who the cleanup hitter is going to be. Isn’t this a glorious spring?