New York Mets non-tender candidates to watch for this winter

Out of all of the arbitration-eligible players on the New York Mets, three stand out the most as possible non-tender candidates. Who are they and why would the team move on?

Many expect this year to future plenty of players non-tendered by their clubs. Due to the financial impact of not having fans in the stands and just 60 games of regular season baseball on television, lots of teams are hurting. The New York Mets should not be affected by this because of the incoming ownership of Steve Cohen.

Still, the club has three non-tender candidates on their roster. These are guys under team control through the salary arbitration process about to make a few dollars more than they probably deserve.

Using the projections by MLB Trade Rumors for the 2021 salaries, these three Mets stand out as the most obvious non-tender candidates on the roster.

Mets non-tender candidate Guillermo Heredia

MLB Trade Rumors expects Guillermo Heredia to earn anywhere from $1.3-1.5 million in 2021. I don’t think money is necessarily the problem in his case. Instead, the focal point is how much the Mets really need him or not.

Heredia did okay in his seven games for the team in 2020. He slashed .235/.278/.588 in 18 plate appearances. Heredia even knocked a pair of home runs.

As a fifth outfielder candidate, Heredia can work on some ball clubs. However, with the Mets, I would appreciate it if they upgraded a little more.

Set to turn 30 in January, Heredia isn’t a developing young player that just needs more time. He has been around the league for years and isn’t going to suddenly stumble upon greatness. He fits in well as one of the last men on a bench. With higher hopes for the 2021 Mets, I think they can put his arbitration money to better use. More important, his roster spot can be upgraded.

Mets non-tender candidate Robert Gsellman

Robert Gsellman is someone Mets fans are much more familiar with than Heredia. He has been with the club since 2016. This past season could potentially be his last calling Citi Field home.

The projected salary arbitration for him is $1.2-1.4 million. It’s not much at all for a pitcher that can come into the game as a starter or reliever. However, given his poor performance, I’m not so sure he’s worth even keeping around on the roster.

Gsellman showed promise early on in his career. Like many Mets pitchers in 2016, he was fantastic.

In the years since Gsellman has settled into more of a relief role. He started off pitching well in 2018 but eventually saw his numbers decline. He finished the year with a 4.28 ERA which isn’t bad but it’s also not very good.

Ideally, I would keep Gsellman around as the mop-up man out of the bullpen. When the Mets are getting blown out, he’s a good candidate to give them three or four innings. He could even give them a frame or two in games where they are way ahead of the other team.

Finally, Gsellman could give the Mets an arm to start in an emergency situation. I wouldn’t be too confident in his abilities. At least it’s better than some of the other options we have seen take the mound for the Mets in recent years.

If MLB Trade Rumors’ prediction is accurate, I do think Gsellman stays with the club in 2021. He’s not hurting the payroll and still has some youth on his side to maybe develop further. He’ll need some of the coaching staff to vouch on his behalf, though.