Paul Articulates – Roster maneuvers are underway

We are officially in the off-season with the completion of the World Series last week.   Within a few days of the date the series is done, many things begin to happen that start to shape the 2027 team.

Trades can commence, though it is unlikely that there will be any major moves this soon.

Free agents can sign, and that activity can happen very fast or very slow.  It is often paced by market conditions, and this year the pitching market will define the cycle.  Teams, agents, and players will all be watching to what happens with Tarik Skubal to set the high end of the market.

Player and team options are decided, which for the Mets includes the decision by Bo Bichette to bypass his option and remain with the team.

Players that have been on the injured list must be reinstated to the roster.  This causes quite a bit of dynamics in the front office as there are typically more than 40 players  that will end up on the 40-man roster following injury reinstatements.  This was already dealt with by the Mets yesterday, when they outrighted four players (Eric Wagaman, Phillip Abner, Cristian Pache, and Cameron Weston) to make room for IL players (Tylor Megill, Reid Garrett, and Jorge Polanco).

The activity by teams to clear space on their rosters creates a second loop of dynamics, as released players become free agents and other teams shopping for certain skills pick them up.  The Mets recently claimed infielder Kyren Paris, although they did not assign him to the 40-man roster.

Another dynamic that occurs at this point in the season is the protection of players from the rule 5 draft.  Rule 5 is always an interesting time, but this season it gets even more curious.  

The MLB deadline for protecting players (by assigning them to the 40-man roster) is November 17th in preparation for the December 9th Rule 5 draft.  However, with the CBA expiring on December 1st, that draft may be postponed or even cancelled.  But any risk adverse GM is still going to protect valuable players from that event.  Depending upon how many players a team wants to protect, they must remove an equal amount from the 40-man to make room.

That is an awful lot of activity to track, so let’s break it down for the Mets:

1) As of November 1st, the Mets had 39 players on the 40-man roster (this includes the 4 outrighted players and the 3 reinstated from IL).

2) With Bichette’s decision, there are no remaining club or player options for the 2027 season.

3) The list of players that are eligible for the Rule 5 draft is long [find it here], as it is in most years, but there are several players that we have discussed often on this site that are worthy of note: Jefferson Rojas, Chris Suero, Jacob Reimer, Kevin Parada, Ryan Clifford, D’Andre Smith, Nick Lorusso; and Pitchers Jack Wenninger, Irving Cota, Saul Garcia, and Gary Gill Hill.  Certainly, all of these players will not be protected, but four or five may be necessary.

4) The Mets will inevitably be active in the free agent market – this will require further roster manipulation on or before the date of acquisitions.

In summary, the next month will be a very volatile time for the Mets’ roster, though the core group of players that comprise the 2027 lineup and starting rotation will be much more stable in the short term.  Keep your eye on the news for the latest developments.