Reese Kaplan -- Mets Offseason Roster Bullet List Number Eleven

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.

Miscellaneous Additions

The Mets have made several moves in the attempt to reinforce and improve the team through the addition of free agents and the execution of trades.  Still, many people believe that more actions need to be taken to take the club up to the next level with another bold move.  The one suggested in a rumor this week is once again for the Mets to obtain the current Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert, Jr. in a steep priced trade.  In this one Robert would be the only Windy City player coming to New York with the Mets sending Jeff McNeil, Jett Williams, Drew Gilbert and Nolan McLean back to the ChiSox.  At first glance it seems to be a mighty high price to pay for someone who is essentially a rental for one year.  Coming into 2025 Robert would be attempting to bounce back from a subpar 2024 and cost the Mets $15 million.  When you glance back at his 2023 season which included 38 HRs and 80 RBIs you kind of get a feeling for what the man is capable of doing.  And my having called it a rental may have been a bit of a misnomer as the contract contains team options for the next two seasons at $20 million per year or a $2 million opt out.  Considering he plays a solid center field and at the end of 2027 would still be under the age of 30, it’s a perhaps more interesting deal than it appeared to be at first glance.  Still, you would be giving up an awful lot to bring him to Citifield. 

A few lesser contracts happened this past week to indicate that the Mets were theoretically (and accurately) predicting that the club was looking to position itself for a return of Pete Alonso.  We’ve previously discussed the return of Ryne Stanek and the addition of Nick Madrigal to the roster but the kind of new angle volunteered afterwards were that these very modestly priced contract offers that were accepted my not have been David Robertson and Alex Bregman, but what they did was address needs while holding the line on the ever expanding payroll.  

Some of the Mets prospects have been moving up in the player evaluation metrics.  It’s always difficult to extrapolate what is done in the lower minor leagues to what will happen when a player faces stiffer competition at the upper levels, but it’s still encouraging to see potential for the future.  The first player identified was the two way hitter and pitcher, Carson Benge.  He is more likely going to be isolated to be a hitter only but for now it’s a mix of both.  He is predicted to become a center fielder with modest speed and good power.  The next player addressed was former two way prospect Nolan McLean.  His power hitting wasn’t offsetting his horrific strikeout results as a batter, so the Mets decided he will focus exclusively on pitching moving forward.  His first go around in pro ball saw him pitch to a 3.78 ERA with good control so perhaps singular skill development makes a lot of sense.  The third player discussed was the man some envision as a future first baseman in Ryan Clifford.  While he’s mostly playing outfield now, the short term deal to Pete Alonso suggests a possible replacement if he can hone his power hitting skills.  With over a combined 500 ABs in 2024 he hit 19 home runs but struck out way too much while hitting .219.  He’s not yet in the Top 100 prospect lists but if he can become more disciplined at the plate the potential for him to move onto that list is still possible. 

The ongoing mystery of Ronny Mauricio came up again as many wonder where he will eventually play on the Mets.  One article this week suggested that his strong defensive skills and capable arm make him the third baseman of the future given his home run power and base running abilities.  With the return of Pete Alonso the big club roster tightened up significantly and having missed a year it would surprise no one to see him begin once again in Syracuse to show his capabilities.  Everyone would also like to see him  become a bit more selective which would help with his batting average and increase his very low number of walks to take advantage of his speed.

It was revealed this week that the Mets made a one-year contract offer to bring back Jose Iglesias which, at age 35 and as a role player, seemed eminently reasonable.  Iglesias, of course, is looking to play more often and to set himself up for the financial security of a multiyear deal, so it would appear that the Nick Madrigal acquisition may have a bit more weight than a mere depth signing that was made.

Although not a prospect, a somewhat surprising article was published this past week suggesting that left fielder Brandon Nimmo is fully healthy and over the plantar fasciitis issue that hampered him significantly last season.  His shoulder issue also appears to be behind him as well.  While his batting average and OBP were down, he hit a career high with 90 RBIs and stole bases.  Folks are hoping that he can build on the positives from 2024 The foot injection he received has allowed him to do all baseball activities short of sprinting. 

Many articles were published wondering aloud what becomes of Brett Baty with the return of Pete Alonso?  Many felt he had a shot to begin the season at third base or first base with Mark Vientos taking the other position.  Now with the 2024 team more or less rebuilt no one knows what to expect from Baty.  He posted his best ever power numbers in AAA last season but at the expense of his batting average.  Will he be traded away in a still-to-come transaction or will he somehow squeeze himself onto the major league bench?  Going to Syracuse is likely possible but the least appealing resort for everyone. 

While many feel that the Mets are done with their pitching selections, others arose (myself included) to say that the club definitely has room for improvement in the rotation and in the bullpen.  Towards that end once again the Dylan Cease on again/off again rumors resurfaced, this time with a monster price tag associated with a prospective trade.  The latest one has the Padres asking for Brandon Sproat, Jett Williams and catcher Ronald Hernandez.  Obviously if it is a one-year rental then these players would be off limits but if a deal included an opportunity to negotiate a longer term deal a’la what was once done with Johan Santana, then you’d at least have to listen.  Counter offers could be made with other high level prospects but it would appear that Sproat is likely off limits but Williams could be moved in the right deal.

The Mets signed an undrafted player named Andrew Carson to a minor league deal where he’s apparently slated to begin at Port St. Lucie after a gaudy multi-college resume of pitching success.  He’s projected to be a reliever and already 24 he’s likely going to have to deliver quickly to make advancement towards the majors before his hair starts turning gray.

Relief pitcher T.J. Shook performed better for the Mets than he ever did for the Brewers from whom he was obtained in a one-for-one deal sending Tyler Jay to Milwaukee.  Already 26, Shook’s road up to the majors is a difficult one but not impossible. 

Another Padre/Mets trade rumor surfaced with the Mets paying down the final year of Starling Marte’s contract to give the Friars a much needed outfielder while the Mets would receive southpaw reliever Wandy Peralta.  It would cost the Mets some money to make this deal happen, but an additional experienced lefty in the pen with New York experience could be more beneficial to the 2025 club than having Starling Marte sharing a DH role would be.