Reese Kaplan -- How Are Now Former Mets Doing This Year?

When the offseason started, there was a lot of hand wringing over the more than 50% of 2022 players who were either filing for free agency or shown the exit door by the New York Mets. Many folks (myself included) wondered how exactly the Mets were going to rebuild a roster that somehow looked bad for the latter part of the season yet still managed to win 101 games. 

Well, it's now year 2023 and there's a lot of former Met employment traffic seeking paychecks elsewhere.

Of course, the Mets were not sitting idly by waiting for others to bid on the players they really wanted. Edwin Diaz was brought back first. He was followed by Brandon Nimmo. On his heels came Adam Ottavino. In the minor leagues they brought back Tommy Hunter and Sean Reid-Foley.

Not everyone was wanted nor did they want to remain at Citifield. Let's have a look at where folks have gone.

The biggest name and very much catching most baseball folks by surprise was when two time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom opted out of his contract in search of a bigger payday and found one with the Texas Rangers. The amount of money they're spending annually for the next five years totals $185 million. Had the team not moved so quickly to secure the services of Justin Verlander there would have been a lot more teeth gnashing and ulcer development among the fans, the media and the front office.

First half sensation Taijuan Walker decided to pursue greener (as in cash money) pastures to the City of Brotherly Love. The Phillies opted to retain the oft-injured and inconsistent Walker for 4 years at $18 million per year. That seems a reasonable price for his good days but a bit stiff for his bad ones (or IL-stints).

Chris Bassitt was not too well known my Mets fans when he made his way here from Oakland last year, but he was quite solid in his number three spot in the rotation. He seemed to fit in very well with the team mentality and competitiveness, but the team didn't seem to make a concerted effort to retain him. Instead he will traipse north of the border to Toronto where the Blue Jays are now on the hook for $21 million per season for the next three years.

Although he has not really been a part of the Mets since 2020, Michael Conforto had only ever played for the boys in orange and blue...until now. His injury did likely depress his price a bit, but the San Francisco Giants felt he was healthy enough to pay him $18 million per season for 2023 and 2024. He'll still be young enough to capitalize again if he bounces back, but to many folks that's a big if.

The man who never seemed to fit for the Mets in the starting rotation, Seth Lugo, inked a deal on the left coast with the Padres where he's theoretically going to get that opportunity. At $7.5 million per season for two years, they're both taking a bit of a chance as Lugo has proven to be much better in the pen than in the starting rotation.

A man whose presence was surprisingly valuable when he was a throw-in to the ill-fated Javier Baez deal, Trevor Williams, will now call the last place Washington Nationals his new employer. Williams did a little bit of everything for the Mets, but like Lugo he preferred a regular slot in the starting rotation. With the Nationals that's likely to be available given a strong showing in Spring Training. They're paying him $6.5 million per year for two seasons of pitching.

Joining him in DC will be former teammate Dominic Smith who became a free agent when the Mets opted to let him go rather than keep paying him increasing compensation for decreasing level of production. With the Nats he will get a base salary of just $2 million but incentives can bring it to the $4 million range he had been earning in New York. He was told he has the chance to win the starting first base job that he lost to Pete Alonso.

The big reliever with the funky delivery, Trevor May, fought both inconsistency and health during his mediocre tenure in a Mets uniform. He will now earn his paycheck in Oakland where the A's are obligated for a single year to pay him $7 million.

Somewhat surprisingly the Mets decided to jointly part ways with Mychal Givens who pitched poorly the first few times out on the mound but then seemed to get in sync. Now he's back where he spent the majority of his career in Baltimore where the Orioles will pay him a reasonable $5 million for one season.

When Billy Eppler made the somewhat head scratching deal sending righty Miguel Castro across town to the Yankees for lefty Joely Rodriguez last year, most felt it was the overwhelming need to find a pen arm to face left handed hitters. 

Rodriguez started off poorly and the deal looked like a major stinker until Castro got hurt and appeared very little for the Yankees. He's now employed in Boston by the Red Sox for $2 million. It's good for himself and his family that he got a deal but no one shed tears when he departed.

Still unemployed as of this date is mid-season trade acquisition from Cincinnati, Tyler Naquin. He had been a respectable hitter at various points during his career, but for his new paycheck providers in Queens he hit an embarrassing .203 over 49 games. No one appears to be breaking down his door to secure his services. Again, like Rodriguez, we wish him well, just not when he plays against the Mets.