What’s up with the Mets? 🍎
OF Carson Benge was announced as a finalist for the National League Rookie of the Year (MLB.com)
Former Mets President and GM Sandy Alderson is one of eight Contemporary Baseball Era candidates for the Hall of Fame (MLB.com)
Free agency is now officially underway, with the Mets facing a crucial offseason (MLB.com)
Roster Moves 📰
INF Christian Cairo signed to a one-year Major League contract and designated for assignment
RHP Jack Anderson claimed off waivers from Minnesota
RHP Pierson Ohl claimed off waivers from Colorado
LHP Philip Abner claimed off waivers by Baltimore
RHP Cameron Weston claimed off waivers by Miami
OF Christian Pache outrighted to Triple-A Syracuse
INF Eric Wagaman outrighted to Triple-A Syracuse and elected free agency in lieu of accepting the assignment
RHP Reed Garrett, RHP Tylor Megill, and INF Jorge Polanco reinstated from the 60-Day Injured List
INF Kyren Paris signed one-year Major League contract and designated for assignment
Rumor Mill 💬
LHP Tarik Skubal, the prize of this year’s free agency class, is expected to sign before the Dec. 1 lockout, with the Mets expected to be serious suitors, if not the favorite. The Cubs are also believed to “badly” want Skubal (ESPN.com)
Off-Season Outlook 📈
This winter, the Mets have no players with unconditional expiring contracts, and only one where a player option may or may not be considered. The club has no team options to consider, but will need to decide whether or not to tender contracts to ten different arbitration-eligible players by mid-November.
In addition, the Mets could choose to non-tender players who are pre-arbitration eligible if they no longer have any minor league options available.
The Mets could also attempt to trade any such player they’re considering not tendering a contract to before the mid-November deadline.
PENDING FREE AGENTS
None
TEAM OPTIONS
None
PLAYER OPTIONS
None
ARBITRATION ELIGIBLE PLAYERS
Francisco Álvarez
Brett Baty
Reed Garrett
Tylor Megill
Christopher Morel
Dedniel Núñez
Cristian Pache
Cionel Perez
Mark Vientos
Austin Warren
PLAYERS KNOWN TO HAVE NO MINOR LEAGUE OPTIONS LEFT
Mark Vientos
Christopher Morel
Cristian Pache (designated for assignment 10/29)
Daniel Duarte
Tobias Myers
Austin Warren
Robert Stock
Chayce McDermott
Ronny Mauricio
MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS ELIGIBLE FOR RULE 5 DRAFT EXPOSURE
Catchers: Chris Suero, Kevin Parada, Ronald Hernandez
Infielders: Ryan Clifford, Randy Guzman, Estarling Mercado, Jefferson Rojas, Jacob Reimer, Nick Lorusso, Marco Vargas
Outfielders: D’Andre Smith, Yohairo Cuevas
SPs: Gary Gill Hill, Jack Wenninger, Irving Cota, Noah Hall, Dakota Hawkins, Joel Díaz, Jose Chirinos, Jonathan Jimenez, Wyatt Hudepohl
RPs: Zach Franklin, Ben Simon, Felipe De La Cruz, Douglas Orellana, Calvin Ziegler, Saul Garcia, Luis R. Rodriguez, Bryce Jenkins, Cristofer Gomez, Ryan Ammons, Juan Arnaud, Ernesto Mercedes, Gregori Louis, Austin Troesser
Key Off-Season Dates 📅
Players from the 60-day IL must be reinstated, 40-man rosters must be set - November 2
Free agency begins - November 3
Deadline for qualifying offer to free agents - November 3
GM/Industry Meetings, Las Vegas - November 9-12
Owners meetings, New York - November 17-19
Non-tender deadline - November 20
December 1 - expiration of current collective bargaining agreement
MLB Winter Meetings, Orlando - December 7-9
MLB Draft Lottery - December 8
Rule 5 draft - December 9
The Just Mets Podcast 🎙️
ICYMI: On the latest edition of the Just Mets Podcast, Rich flew solo to discuss Bo Bichette opting into his $42 million contract for the 2027 season.
SUBSCRIBE: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Some musings on Carson Benge, and the Mets’ offseason priorities ✍️
We are back!
Well, technically, we returned to our weekly offseason schedule at the end of last week, but it is my first time writing one of these in a while, and it feels good to be back.
The postseason seemed to stretch on for ages with the Mets not involved, and I’m more than happy to get back to the business of talking about the Mets with a crucial few weeks ahead.
With the dreaded lockout looming, I fully expect things to ramp up very quickly, and it is very possible that we could see this team make most, if not all, of their major moves by the time we get to the last week of November.