Reese Kaplan -- Mets Offseason Roster Bullet List Number Six

Mack's Mets will summarize players mentioned as possible new members of the team available via trade or free agency that have popped up in the media associated with them as a part of the 40 man roster.  These bullet points are not necessarily factual as if they were leaked from the Mets front office.  They comprise opinions, rumors and hypotheticals that various Mets beat writers and bloggers have felt necessary to put out into public notice.  Like EPA gas mileage ratings, take the news with a grain of salt.  We share but don’t necessarily endorse any of these transactions.

Trade Rumors

Center Fielder Luis Robert, Jr. is a bit of a financial albatross from his nearly record setting losing employer, the Chicago White Sox.  When he’s good he can be indeed very good.  As an example, Robert back in 2023 hit .264 which was fine for a sterling defensive player.  What lit up the fans on the South Side of Chicago were his 38 HRs, 80 RBIs and 20 SBs.  It resulted in a new contract for the young man which paid him $9.5 million.  His long term deal saw his salary jump to $12.5 million for the 2024 season which was decidedly less stellar than what he did the previous year.  Coming into 2025 he will earn $15 million and then for 2026 and 2027 there  are club options for $20 million each year.  For a team with a lot of holes to fill, sacrificing Robert, Jr. for a change of scenery trade could bring back multiple interesting pieces.  It was suggested that the Mets could obtain him from the White Sox in a trade that included Jonah Tong, Jacob Reimer and Jack Wenninger.  Considering the financial obligation could be capped at one year to see if he could make good on his paycheck, that’s not a bad price to pay.  If he can, it’s a steal. 

In the while everyone else zigs, we zag variety of prospective trade, it has been suggested that the surprisingly well traveled Luis Arraez could be someone who might fit nicely into the Mets relative plans.  He is not a slugger by any means.  He’s not even a gifted fielder.  What he is, however, is arguably the best hitter in the game.  His career batting average is .323.  That is not a typo.  It’s the other numbers that would concern folks.  His high water mark in dingers is just 10 in one season.  His best RBI year was 69.  This past year between the Marlins and Padres he topped out at 9 SBs.  Go back to the hitting routine.  He has won three straight batting titles and in each of the past two seasons had 200+ hits.  He earned $10.6 million in 2024 and is arbitration eligible for 2025 before becoming a free agent in 2026.  Still just 27 years of age, he’s a very much out-of-the-box idea for getting on base ahead of your more traditional run producers and it was suggested that a deal of Tyrone Taylor and Blade Tidwell would get it done.  It seems like something at least worth considering. 

Another 1st base alternative suggested multiple times was a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays for Yandy Diaz.  In this situation, the timing is interesting.  He would earn $10 million for 2025 and the club has a $12 million option for 2026 or he could become a free agent.  Considering that his career didn’t begin until he was 25 years old with then Indians, the now 33 year old Diaz is a solid hitter but not in the true slugger category.  A career .288 hitter, he’s topped out at one season with 22 HRs and one with 78 RBIs.  Going into his age 33 and 34 potential seasons he would not cost perhaps as much as the younger Luis Arraez while providing a little more run production.  No prospective players were named as to what it would take to get the Rays to consider a deal.

It’s not the first time that the Mets were suggested as a trade partner for the Seattle Mariners who could be looking to move on from ace Luis Castillo.  This time around the rumor has them eating his full remaining salary (4 more years at just shy of $25 million per season).  In return they would send to Seattle a package that included Brett Baty and Blade Tidwell.  In terms of what you sacrifice, it seems a fairly reasonable price and the overall hit to the budget is at least $50 million less than what some other free agents have gotten.  Castillo routinely eats almost 200 innings per year and since 2022 has pitched to a 3.34 ERA between a partial year with the Reds and the rest with the Mariners.  He fans 9.7 per 9 IP and walks 2.5.  His WHIP is a very respectable 1.117 during that period.  It’s worth considering. 

The other ace being dangled as a trade possibility is the Minnesota Twins’ Pablo Lopez.  The former Marlin has been a solid pitcher with very similar strikeout, walk and WHIP numbers to Castillo.  Where he falls a little short is in the number of innings pitched and the ERA which is a career mark of 3.91.  However, if you’re willing to accept these differences, he would be yours for 2025 through 2027 at about $3 million per season less while also being 3 years younger.  The price suggested for Lopez is considerably higher, however.  The package proposed would send David Peterson, Jett Williams and Drew Gilbert for Lopez and overpaid catcher Christian Vazquez.  A career .253 hitter without power, Vazquez is on the hook for $10 million for 2025.  He doesn’t seem to offer any distinct advantage over Luis Torrens but would make up the difference in price for the starting pitcher.  

A one-for-one deal was proposed with the Mets sending Jonah Tong to Arizona for Jordan Montgomery hoping that 2024 was a blip and not a trend of things to come.

Y’all knew it was coming so let’s look at the hypothetical deal for free-agent-to-be Vlad Guerrero, Jr.  In this one the Mets would send Tylor Megill, Ryan Clifford, Luisangel Acuna and Brett Baty north of the border.  That’s three prime trade chips plus Megill with no guarantee the would-be $500 million man would sign an extension with the Mets.  On the other hand, imagine a lineup with Soto, Guerrero, Lindor and Vientos in the middle of it.  I wonder if clubs anymore ever consider trade deals with contract discussion provisions like the one the Mets did to get Johan Santana?

Free Agent Rumors

Some are suggesting that Jurickson Profar finally put it all together this past season for the Padres.  Others think it was a non-replicable star season for a player turning 32.  Still, .280 with 24 HRs and 85 RBIs to go along with 10 SBs is nothing to sneeze at, particularly when you consider he did that while earning just $1 million.  He’s a real wildcard as a free agent and other than as a DH doesn’t seem like an excellent fit on the field.

An even wilder rumor was considering former Yankee Anthony Rizzo who has been in the fast lane to baseball oblivion.  His last good year was back in 2019.  The batting average makes Pete Alonso look like Tony Gwynn by comparison and his power has fallen apart since his 2022 season.  A minor league contract with a Spring Training invite is perhaps the best he should get. 

On the relief pitcher front, there was a lot of speculation but nothing credible in terms of leaks from the Mets front office.  Names here included Jose Leclerc, A.J. Minter, Luis Garcia, Tanner Scott, Jeff Hoffman, Kenley Jansen, David Robertson, Kirby Yates and Chris Martin.  Figure the true closers are out, but a setup guy like David Robertson, a late stage Kenley Jansen or even elder statesman Kirby Yates could make sense. 

An interesting rumor popped up that the Mets could send Starling Marte back to the Pirates for their embattled reliever David Bednar who is coming off an awful year.  The Mets would obviously have to pay down significantly on that deal, but getting a younger pitcher with closing experience who had one bad year might be a good way to cash in on Marte’s final year. 

Pete Alonso Rumors

To the Mariners for the same 3 years/$90 million he turned down with the Mets...

To the Phillies which would enable them to move Bryce Harper back to the outfield...

To the Blue Jays opening up DH or 3B for Vlad Guerrero, Jr...

To the Giants...