Can they survive until Opening Day?
Even though Opening Day of the New York Mets is still a whole winter away, there are already a few possible casualties on the 40-man roster. In a red light, green light match akin to the squid game, David Stearns doesn’t have to rush to eliminate anyone because there are still plenty of open spots.
Even some of Stearns’ additions will eventually be let go as the roster keeps getting piled higher and higher. Right now, before the 2024 season officially begins, these five Mets stand the greatest chance of losing their spot on the 40-man roster.
1) Zack Short
Zack Short will need to sustain a serious injury in order to stay on the 40-man roster. Joey Wendle’s addition served as confirmation. There’s no room for Short on the Flushing major league roster anymore.
Once thought to be a potential replacement for Luis Guillorme, the Mets decided not to tender “the bearded one,” so they went out and acquired an even better and more experienced player to fill whatever void he left. Short is a DFA candidate due to his lack of minor league options; the only possible scenario is if one of the other infielders or Wendle starts the season on the injured list.
Short’s tenure with the Mets will end quickly even in that case. The right-handed hitting utility man, who was claimed off waivers by the team, is redundant on a roster that already includes Wendle. The Mets may find it difficult to consistently give their younger players enough playing time. Only one of those players’ spot on the roster would be forfeited by Short.
If there’s any guarantee of a player losing a roster spot, it’s him. This is a numbers game. He drew the low one.
2) Sean Reid-Foley
Sean Reid-Foley seems to be a big favorite of the Mets. They brought him back despite knowing he was already hurt, even after previously designating him for assignment. By the end of the 2023 season, Reid-Foley had returned to the major league roster and was pitching much better. He might be a candidate for a bullpen spot on the Opening Day roster. A large percentage of the relief corps could consist of reasonably priced arms such as him, given the current trajectory of the offseason.
Reid-Foley encounters the same issue that Short does. His options in the minor leagues have already been used up. A DFA pink slip is necessary if the Mets wish to keep him around but not in the major league bullpen.
It says very little that Stearns has kept him around for this long. Though he is not yet qualified for arbitration, he is a player to watch closely in the upcoming spring. If SRF makes the roster, it will be crucial for the Mets to surround him with pitchers who can be demoted to the minor leagues. The Mets will become less relevant sooner than anyone would like to see due to their meticulous bullpen management without the option to demote anybody.
3) Phil Bickford
For the Mets, Phil Bickford is an intriguing case. They were cutting players from the roster when he was acquired in a summer trade. Being able to continue into the offseason this far is understandable given that he will provide the bullpen with another cheap arm. Stearns already knows who he is. Before being claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Dodgers, Bickford was a member of the Milwaukee Brewers organization and was able to scrape through an inning in 2020 and another in 2021.
Bickford seems like the kind of player Stearns would truly look to add to the team, based on what we’ve seen him do thus far. After the waiver claim, he had a great 2021 season with Los Angeles. His role in 2022 and 2023 was more of a mop-up guy. Bickford can be a valuable pitcher in some circumstances, provided he continues to have those successful streaks like he had in the last month of 2023 with the Mets. With Luis Guillorme no longer available, who else will pitch in blowouts?
Unless the Mets swap Bickford for a player with minor league options (again, he has none), he might be worth keeping around. His advantage over Reid-Foley is that he has pitched significantly more in the big leagues and had some consistent success.
4) Josh Walker
Though they do have minor league options, the final two players on this list may not be able to avoid becoming the talk of MLB Trade Rumors for all the wrong reasons. With just 10 innings of MLB experience under his belt, 29-year-old Josh Walker is one of those reserve relievers that you might not want to hang onto.
Throughout the previous year, the lefty displayed some encouraging moments. His 1.84 ERA in the minors made it impossible to pass up the opportunity to use him in the majors. Unfortunately, during his 10 innings in the show, he pitched to an 8.10 ERA.
Walker is cut from the roster as the Mets try to bring in some outside assistance. When the team reports to St. Lucie and roster cuts start to occur, he becomes even more so. This offseason, Stearns signed a number of free agents to minor league contracts. Walker can be added to the major league roster by DFA.
Walker was injured for a large portion of his professional career and only recently made the switch to a full-time relief role. In the past, his lack of self-control has hindered him. It is somewhat offset by his excellent strikeout rate.
Walker should be kept on the team for a good reason. If Stearns and the coaching staff don’t believe he’s even worth a second look, that could be the final straw.
5) Reed Garrett
The 2023 Mets’ Reed Garrett was a largely unmemorable player. He was a June waiver claimant who went on to pitch in nine games for 17 innings at a 5.82 ERA. His campaign at age 31 begins next year. Luckily for him, Garrett should be able to compete for a spot on someone’s 40-man roster—even if it’s not the Mets—thanks to minor league options.
It makes sense to keep Garrett around for depth, but his upside seems to be fairly limited. With a 7.11 ERA in 44.1 MLB innings, he is 1-1. For this performance, he might get free Slurpees, but that’s not reason enough to pick him over the competition.
The absence of other internal options may be what keeps Garrett’s spot on the Mets roster intact. They may need to replace Garrett with a fellow veteran who is a shot in the dark and able to stay in the minors because they do have room on their 40-man roster and because Garrett is inexpensive.
An additional benefit is that in a game where they just need to win, the Mets will likely want a veteran to take a punch for them. Garrett is the kind of pitcher who can grind it out and see us through to the end, as opposed to throwing a child on the mound for a hard love learning experience. Like the other pitchers on this list, his chances of making it through the post-season will depend on his prior success, the players the team signs, and his spring training appearance, if he makes it that far.