Last week, the Mets outrighted six players off their roster: left-handed pitcher Tommy Milone, right-handed pitchers Erik Goeddel and Tyler Pill, outfielders Wuilmer Becerra and Travis Taijeron and infielder Phillip Evans.
Of the six, only Becerra figures to remain within the organization, with the other five ultimately becoming free agents. As it stands, there are 34 players on the team’s 40-man roster. Right-hander Zack Wheeler, southpaw Steven Matz and third baseman David Wright are currently on the 60-day disabled list, but will be added once the season concludes, filling up three more spots.
Norichika Aoki, who is currently on the 40-man but is due for a big pay day through arbitration, is a non-tender candidate and will potentially not return next season, so let’s say the team has four current available spots.
MMO’s own John Sheridan recently did a two-part series on Mets prospects who are eligible for the Rule 5 draft in December and profiled several players the Mets could choose to protect.
Of the names, the four most enticing to be added to the 40-man include right-handed pitchers Corey Oswalt, Adonis Uceta and Gerson Bautista and infielder Luis Guillorme.
Oswalt, 24, was awarded Mets pitcher of the year honors by MLB Pipeline after going 12-5 with a 2.28 ERA at Double-A Binghamton. This also led to him being named top pitcher in the Eastern League.
A pitcher MMO and MMN are very high on is the aforementioned Uceta, who struggled as a starter but was converted to a reliever this season. From May 11 until the end of the season, he appeared in 33 games pitching 46.0 innings and allowed just four earned runs. With a high 90s fastball, and a terrific changeup, he’s become nearly unhittable. However, he has not appeared above the Double-A level.
The 22-year-old Gerson Bautista was acquired by the Mets in the Addison Reed deal back on July 31. Out of the three pitchers the Mets got back, he is said to have the most raw talent. Like Noah Syndergaard, he routinely hits triple digits with his fastball and strikes a ton of batters. He began to turn promise into results with St. Lucie going 0-1 with a 1.26 ERA, 0.907 WHIP, and a 12.6 K/9 after the trade.
And last but not least is the soft-handed Luis Guillorme. Sheridan writes:
“Thirty years ago, Guillorme would not only be added to the roster, but he would also be hitting second in the order. Put another way, Guillorme is a throwback player whose skill set may not be fully appreciated. He has advanced knowledge of the strike zone and he knows who he is as a hitter. More than that, he’s one of the best defenders in the minors. Arguably, he’s ready to immediately be a Major League utility player and/or late inning defensive replacement. With the Mets not calling him up in September, we may soon find out if someone truly believes he can be.”
While the Mets have yet to make any trades or signings, there still may be more 40-man roster shakeups on the horizon, but for now, this is what we are looking at.
Update: Aoki has in fact been released by the Mets as of Oct. 30.
