Mets can obliterate Brodie Van Wagenen’s trade deadline further

Relief pitcher Miguel Castro is a potential non-tender candidate. If the New York Mets do decide to move on, the addition from the 2020 trade deadline would have been completely erased.

The 2020 trade deadline was a weak one for the New York Mets. In a short period of time, the club acquired Todd Frazier and Robinson Chirinos in separate trades with the Texas Rangers and also landed a pitcher from the Baltimore Orioles. The pitcher, Miguel Castro, is now a potential non-tender candidate—at least in the eyes of the NY Post’s George King.

It caught me by surprise to see Castro mentioned alongside Steven Matz and Robert Gsellman in this article. Maybe it’s because I’m not as used to seeing Castro’s name. He was only with the team for a month and I’m not so sure anyone knows what he can do moving forward.

The new front office regime has already done a fine job at deleting the moves Brodie Van Wagenen made on August 31, 2020. Chirinos and Frazier each had their options declined. Will Castro become the next Mets player to hit free agency?

More from Rising Apple

• NY Mets Monday Morning GM: The middle is no place you want to be
• NY Mets News: Marcus Stroman sees “potential fit” with the Angels
• NY Mets were too “seek” and not enough “destroy” last winter
• NY Mets: 1 trade target to consider from each 100-loss team
• NY Mets: Top 12 free agents the team should look to sign this winter

Because of his age and potential, I would like to think the Mets can hold onto Castro at least a little more to see what he can do. Chirinos and Frazier were different acquisitions. They were veterans apparently brought in to boost the locker room.

Castro, on the other hand, looked like a future project for the Mets. Although the bullpen performed better in 2020, you can never have enough depth. Castro gives them this even if his numbers suggest there are better options out there somewhere.

Van Wagenen’s second, and final, trade deadline has already gotten hammered. A decision to non-tender Castro would obliterate the three moves he made. The Mets would be left with nothing from a series of moves meant to improve the team then and possibly even into the future.

The trouble I find with potentially letting Castro go for nothing is what the team gave up for him. Former Mets prospect Kevin Smith looks like a good arm the club could use in the near future. It would be a shame if Castro leaves and Smith develops into even a serviceable big leaguer.

But that’s the story of BVW’s tenure, isn’t it? Almost every move he made was for immediate gratification. The farm system was decimated in favor of major leaguers.

The Mets have until December 2 to decide whether Castro will be tendered a contract or not. The same goes for Matz and Gsellman and my other candidate on the bubble, outfielder Guillermo Heredia.

In an offseason when teams are sending plenty of recognizable names onto the unemployment line due to the lost revenue in 2020, the Mets have been one of the few organizations believed to act as if this past year was normal—in a financial sense at least.

Want your voice heard? Join the Rising Apple team!

Write for us!

A decision to non-tender any of these players, however, isn’t about money. It’s about building the best roster possible. We’ll find out soon if the front office believes in these men.