Mike's Mets - The Ground-Level Work

 

By Mike Steffanos

Can David Stearns build the deep, competitive 40-man roster that has eluded the Mets for so long?

Since the World Series ended, things have begun to heat up for the Mets. It kicked off with the news that Carlos Mendoza had been hired as the new manager, which became official at the news conference on November 14. On Friday of that week, we learned that the Mets had elected not to tender contracts to several of their eligible players: DH Daniel Vogelbach, Utitly Infielder Luis Guillorme, and relievers Trevor Gott, Jeff Brigham, and Sam Coonrod. Along with some of the moves made earlier in the month, the Mets 40-man roster is sitting at 28 players. We knew there would be massive changes to the team in David Stearns's first offseason calling the shots, and there certainly is plenty of roster room for those changes.

The only mild surprise in the non-tendered group was Luis Guillorme. Luis was a useful player over his six seasons with the Mets. He had a bad offensive season last year, although injuries limited Guillorme to only 120 PA. Luis has hit a combined .270/.359/.331 in just under 500 PA in the previous two seasons, with a 98 OPS+. That's just under league-average offensive production from a guy who could fill in quite well at all the infield positions, including shortstop. Gulliorme played most of this season at age 28 and was paid $1.6 million in his second year of arbitration eligibility.

My guess is that Stearns felt that Luis could be replaced for less money, which is certainly possible. What seems odd to me was picking up infielder Zack Short off of waivers earlier in the month and keeping him on the roster over Guillorme. I understand the math. Zack Short will cost less than Luis Guillorme. He made $700,000 last season and won't even be eligible for arbitration until 2026. Still, Short's offensive production with the Tigers was awful. Leo Morgenstern at MLB Trade Rumors had this to say about the young infielder when the Mets picked him up:

While his offense may never be a strength, Short draws walks well, and he can put his plus speed to work when he reaches base. Moreover, his defense might not stand out at any one position, but he is capable of covering second, third, and short, and even the outfield in a pinch. As long as he doesn't regress at the plate, his flexibility could earn him another shot at MLB playing time next season, especially since he is out of minor league options.

It doesn't exactly make you salivate over the potential, does it? In his "best" offensive season last year, Short had an OPS+ of 73, only 3 points higher than Luis Guillorme's acknowledged bad year. Neither Luis nor Short have minor league options remaining. If they had to keep one player, I'd have preferred Guillorme for a bit more offense and his defensive abilities. Then again, Short may be long gone, too, by the time Opening Day rolls around next season.

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