The New York Mets made a series of moves last week when they placed six players on outright waivers to get a jumpstart on figuring out their 40-man roster configuration. Rafael Ortega, Danny Mendick, Vinny Nittoli, Michael Pérez, and Jonathan Araúz all cleared waivers and chose free agency, while Oakland claimed Anthony Kay.
The early maneuvering puts the Mets’ 40-man roster currently at 34, but they have five players on the 60-day injured list that will need to be activated after the conclusion of the World Series. Here is a breakdown of the Mets’ 40-man roster as we speak:
Pitchers (19)
- RHP Peyton Battenfield
- RHP Phil Bickford
- RHP Jeff Brigham
- RHP José Butto
- RHP Carlos Carrasco
- RHP Sam Coonrod
- RHP Reed Garrett
- RHP Trevor Gott
- RHP Grant Hartwig
- LHP Joey Lucchesi
- RHP Tylor Megill
- RHP Adam Ottavino
- LHP David Peterson
- LHP José Quintana
- LHP Brooks Raley
- RHP Sean Reid-Foley
- RHP Denyi Reyes
- RHP Kodai Senga
- RHP Drew Smith
Carrasco is the only pending free agent of the group. Raley (team option at $6.5 million) and Ottavino (player option at $6.75 million) are both likely to stay Mets for the 2023 season. Coonrod, Gott, Brigham, and Smith are among the Mets non-tender candidates.
Catchers (2)
- Francisco Álvarez
- Omar Narváez
Narváez has a $7 million player option for 2024.
Infielders (8)
- SS/2B Luisangel Acuña
- 1B Pete Alonso
- 3B Brett Baty
- UT Luis Guillorme
- SS Francisco Lindor
- SS/2B/3B Ronny Mauricio
- UT Jeff McNeil
- 1B/3B Mark Vientos
One of the key things to watch for the 2024 season is how much of an impact Acuña, Baty, Mauricio, and Vientos make.
Outfielders (4)
Stewart and Locastro are both arbitration-eligible at a position that lacks depth at the major league level and upper minors.
Designated Hitter (1)
David Stearns non-tendered Vogelbach in Milwaukee and there’s certainly a chance he does again. Vogelbach is projected to make $2.6 million next year.
60-Day Injured List (5)
- RHP John Curtiss
- RHP Edwin Díaz
- RHP Bryce Montes de Oca
- LHP Josh Walker
- RHP Elieser Hernández
Curtiss ($1.0 million projected) and Hernández ($1.6 million projected) are both non-tender candidates.