Reese Kaplan -- Who's Not on the 2024 Roster & Who Might Not Be

While many folks are pontificating on the managerial search and the classic "What if..." question should the assumed Craig Counsell deal doesn't happen that folks are forgetting many of the roster decisions the new head honcho David Stearns and his GM Billy Eppler are facing in preparation for 2024 and beyond.

The obvious cases of addition by subtraction no one should dispute: 

• Pick a spare outfielder...whether it's the one dimensional Tim Locastro or the veteran AAAA player in Rafael Ortega, neither one is going to bring October baseball to Queens.  It's time to restock and reinforce this position.

• An even larger list likely to be shown the door are the majority of the relief pitchers.  Go down the list and ask yourself honestly if the likes of Phil Bickford, Jeff Brigham, Sam Coonrod, John Curtiss, Reed Garrett, Trevor Gott, Elieser Hernandez, Anthony Kay, Sean Reid-Foley, Denyi Reyes or Josh Walker were no longer a part of the Mets organization would you shed a tear?  The problem here is that none of the above provided quality or health to suggest they have a role in the future.  

• You don't need to spend $7 million on backup catcher Omar Narvaez.  Even a return to Citifield for Tomas Nido would likely be agreeable to the fans as Francisco Alvarez has clearly established he is both the catcher of the present and the future.

• Carlos Carrasco is a goner.

• Ditto Daniel Vogelbach.

The next group are the ones on the borderline:

• Starting pitchers Joey Lucchesi, Jose Butto, David Peterson and Tylor Megill are all worthy of consideration either way but should not be considered core strengths of the regular roster.  If they have to substitute when innings or health demand it on a short term basis, we can all hold our breath and hope that one of the rare good appearances will happen (or at least they will give up 4 or fewer runs).  Of this group Lucchesi did the best this past season, but his health hasn't been terrific over the years and he's no longer a kid. Butto is still a bit of an unknown.  The very well known remaining duo have had years to perfect their games and it hasn't worked.

• DJ Stewart is very much in that will he or won't he group.  Do you try to sell high by trading him after his solid 2023 season and get something in return more necessary for the future or do you go the other way and hand him a starting outfield job?  The likelihood is he becomes the new Locastro/Ortega spare outfielder at his modest salary and as a reward for his solid 2023 that finished weakly in the last couple of weeks.

• Luis Guillorme has had health issues each of the past few seasons which made him unavailable for long stretches of time.  While no one questions his defense, his bat has been inconsistent and he is at best a backup behind the starting infielders.  He cannot run and has no power, so inconsistent hitting doesn't account for much.  He might have attractive trade value to a secondary market team in quest of his stellar glove.  

• Danny Mendick was back and forth a few times, never really distinguishing himself one way or the other.  Throughout his minor and major league trials he has shown positional versatiity and a little bit of power.  He might be worth keeping around in the event Guillorme winds up wearing another uniform in 2024. 

• Starling Marte has pretty much obliterated fan's memory of his truly outstanding 2022 season as a result of never fully recovering from his multiple surgeries and migraines.  In case you haven't looked at the roster, the outfield today consists of Brandon Nimmo and perhaps Jeff McNeil.  As a result (and given his two more high salaried years) he's a difficult one to trade away.  If you do, people will assume he's totally washed up in his mid 30s.  If he's not, well, that's major egg on your face.  I'd swallow hard and keep him around with an eye towards a starting outfield position or VERY expensive backup.  

• As barren as the Mets bullpen is past Edwin Diaz, Adam Ottavino and Brooks Raley, it might give some oxygen to the otherwise in bad Mets health, Drew Smith.  To many people he is a totally useless arm out there based upon not his past but his substandard season in 2023.  However, finishing with a 4.15 ERA is not awful and his overall career metrics suggest that while absorbing this off year he's pitched to a 3.53 ERA for his entire career.  That's not too shabby.  You could trade him away if a backup outfielder or lower level minors are appealing, but you're going to need more arms in the pen.  He's here.  He's mostly been good.  He's on the edge.  

The next chapter in this saga will explore the very unlikely trade values of the people who appear to be a part of the roster core.