The Mets are not solely focused on acquiring pitching this offseason.
Utilityman Cooper Hummel and catcher Tyler Heineman have been claimed off waivers, the Mets announced on Friday. The Mets 40-man roster is now at 32 and will be at 33 when the Luis Severino signing is official.
Hummel, 29, and Heineman, 32, each have a minor league option remaining.
Possessing a unique skill set of being able to catch, play first base, and play left field, Hummel spent the 2023 season with Seattle. He hit .087/.192/.130/.323 with no home runs or RBIs in 10 games.
Cooper Hummel. Photo by Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
In 2022, he made his professional debut with Arizona, with a slash line of .176/.274/.307/.580 with three home runs and seven RBIs in 66 games. The switch-hitting Hummel does have a career .420 OBP in Triple-A.
This is the second time David Stearns has acquired Hummel. Drafted in 2016 by the Brewers when Stearns was their general manager, Hummel ascended slowly in Milwaukee’s minor league system before being traded on July 28, 2021 with Alberto Ciprian to the Diamondbacks for future Met Eduardo Escobar.
On November 17, 2022, the Diamondbacks traded Hummel to Seattle for Kyle Lewis.
The switch-hitting Heineman slashed .237/.383/.316/.699 with no home runs and three RBIs in 22 games combined for Toronto and Pittsburgh in 2023.
In 62 games combined for Toronto and Pittsburgh in 2022, Heineman slashed .217/.276/.268/.544 with no home runs and nine RBIs.
Heineman also has a connection to the new Mets hierarchy. He was drafted by Houston in 2012 out of UCLA. At the time, Kris Gross, the Mets’ new vice president of amateur scouting, held the title of Houston’s West Coast supervisor.
