Photo By Ernest Dove

With Opening Day less than two weeks away, the New York Mets have announced an additional 10 roster cuts from the Major League portion of Spring Training to bring the current Spring Training roster to 34. The 10 players cut from Spring Training were:

INF Gavin Cecchini
LHP P.J. Conlon
OF Matt den Dekker
RHP A.J. Griffin
INF Luis Guillorme
UTIL Ty Kelly
C Jose Lobaton
LHP Matt Purke
RHP Drew Smith
RHP Corey Taylor

Unlike the last round of Spring Training cuts, some of these decisions by the Mets were quite surprising, and they may give an indication as to which players may find themselves on the Opening Day roster.

With Conlon and Purke cut, Jerry Blevins will now be the only left-handed reliever in the Mets bullpen. This also means the battle for the last spots in the Mets bullpen is between Robert Gsellman, Seth Lugo, Rafael Montero, Hansel Robles, Jacob Rhame, and Paul Sewald. According to various reports, Sewald and Lugo seem to have the inside track.

Part of the bullpen battle will depend on how large a bench the Mets opt to carry. In a somewhat surprising move, Phillip Evans instead of den Dekker or Kelly is the player battling for the last spot on the Opening Day roster. Of that trio of players, it should be noted Evans has the most versatility with his ability to play both shortstop and the outfield.

Check back later with Mets Minors to see who the final nine players will be cut as the Mets shape their Opening Day roster.