Five players were non-tendered by the New York Mets prior to the deadline on Friday night. Now set to hit free agency are relievers Trevor Gott, Jeff Brigham, and Sam Coonrod; infielder Luis Guillorme, and DH Daniel Vogelbach. This also implies that Drew Smith, Joey Lucchesi, David Peterson, and Pete Alonso will all get contract offers from the Mets.
The team also declared that they had reached an agreement to sign outfielder DJ Stewart to a one-year contract worth a reported $1.38 million. That is slightly less than the $1.5 million that was anticipated for him.
Five Players Not Tender by the New York Mets
The Mets have now cleared at least five roster spots in one wave this offseason. David Stearns has plenty of leeway to work with as he attempts to add his mark to the roster, as there are now just 28 players on the 40-man roster.
Daniel Vogelbach
Perhaps the most well-known player that the Mets did not tender is Vogelbach. Originally signed at the 2022 deadline to add power to the lineup, Vogelbach was a major disappointment for the Mets. Though there was some value in giving him a contract, Stearns may have decided the 30-year-old was too one-dimensional to commit a roster spot to.
Vogelbach slashed .241/.359/.415 in 159 games in Queens with just 19 homers. While he provided great on-base abilities, his lack of speed and baserunning abilities made the team too stagnant.
According to MLB Trade Rumors, Vogelbach will receive $2.6 million in arbitration. Stearns may choose to divide the at-bats between young players making nearly league minimum salary (Mark Vientos, Brett Baty) and veterans in need of rest (Starling Marte), even though the team can sign a new full-time DH via free agency.
Luis Guillorme
Guillorme was a light-hitting utility infielder with injury concerns, so his projected arbitration salary of $1.7 million was probably too much. Ronny Mauricio can play all of Guillorme’s positions and offers more offensive upside for almost the league minimum, even though the 29-year-old is an excellent defender.
Gott, Brigham, and Coonrod
Could all three of these righties be useful middle relievers? But throughout their careers, they have all had to deal with inconsistencies and/or health problems. It was predicted that they would make $4 million in total the following year ($900,000 for Coonrod, $1.1 million for Brigham, and $2 million for Gott).
Though their major league output hasn’t been completely replaced, it wouldn’t have been difficult to imagine Stearns bringing Gott and Coonrod back. Gott was once acquired by Stearns in Milwaukee, and it’s possible that Stearns wanted to keep him in New York. Stearns may have been captivated by Coonrod’s electric fastball. If he can maintain his health and exercise more control over his affairs, many assessors see Coonrod as a high-leverage impact player.
The Mets could have kept these relievers on the roster this winter, with so many gaps to be filled and openings on the 40-man roster. All of the non-tendered players, though, are still open to being signed by the Mets to new contracts. These relievers could very well be brought back by the Mets on minor-league contracts.
DJ Stewart
Stewart made a splash in August after the post-deadline Mets gave him a lot of playing time. In just 58 games, he hammered 11 home runs with an OPS of.840. The former first-round pick of the Orioles made swing adjustments with the Mets that could result in further improvements, despite his concerning 30.3 percent strikeout rate.
Next season, if he hits with a similar level of power, his contract would become extremely valuable as a DH or corner outfield option. His contract won’t keep the Mets from moving on in the middle of the season if he doesn’t hit.
Next up, what?
Four players received contract offers from the Mets, despite not signing five players and non-tendered five others. Alonso is expected to make approximately $22 million in his last year of arbitration, making him the most expensive. If the Mets sign him to a contract extension this winter, they can make this all moot.
Smith, like Alonso, is about to enter his last season under team control, albeit with a much smaller projected salary of $2.3 million. Before Friday night’s deadline, the Mets supposedly shopped Smith around, but it’s obvious that they weren’t able to find a deal they were happy with. Although Smith has a fantastic fastball from a low arm slot, he didn’t perform well the previous season and hasn’t grown as expected. Even if the Mets fail to contend, he remains a high-upside arm that can be traded this winter or at the trade deadline the following year.
After hip surgery, Peterson will miss the first few months of the season and is expected to make $2 million. The Mets are hoping that he returns around the middle of the season to provide the team with some much-needed fresh arms in the closing innings. A year from now, Peterson will probably not be tendered if there are any problems with him.
It will be expected of Lucchesi to give the Mets starting depth the following season. His involvement took on even greater significance following Peterson’s surgery. Despite seeing little major-league action last season, the funky lefty pitched well and should be prepared for a heavier workload. Lucchesi may also see action as a spot starter and multi-inning reliever.
The four players will engage in negotiations with the Mets before the team submits possible salaries in January. Any kind of agreement can be reached by both parties if they so choose. They’ll probably go to arbitration if they can’t come to an agreement by the deadline of January 12. An arbitrator will decide at these frequently heated meetings whether to award the player the salary his side submitted or the salary the team submitted.