NY Mets Roster: 2 pitchers we could “take or leave” for next season

A ton of the early focus on the upcoming New York Mets offseason has been put on the team’s big name free agents. Will the long tenures of Noah Syndergaard and Michael Conforto come to an end? Is the team willing to pay Marcus Stroman what he has earned? Will Javier Baez’s time in Flushing be over in a blink?

Beyond those big four, there are several other players who could potentially have their final games with the Mets in these next few days. Among them are a pair of pitchers I would classify as “take or leave.”

I’d like to take a look at each of them and whether or not they should be a part of the Mets pitching staff in 2022.

The Mets could use a guy like Trevor Williams but they do have other options out there

When the Mets picked up Trevor Williams at the trade deadline alongside Baez it was purely a depth move. Williams went straight to Triple-A. It didn’t take long for him to get a big league promotion and become one of the club’s emergency starters due to an influx of doubleheaders on the schedule.

Williams has also spent time pitching in relief, often saved for long man situations or to get some outs late when the other arms have been used. The absolute swingiest of the swingmen, Williams has been used in every situation possible.

Given this flexibility, it’s easy to find a spot for Williams. Because he is still arbitration-eligible next year as well, the Mets nearly need to tender him a contract.

But what if they don’t? What if Williams becomes too expensive of a depth piece? He last earned $2.8 million in 2020 through arbitration (not calculating the pro-rated amount) and then took home $2.5 million from his free agent deal signed with the Chicago Cubs last offseason. I would guess $3 million through arbitration is around what he could receive.

It’s not a lot of money to pay your sixth or seventh starter with big league experience. If the Mets also decide to move on from Robert Gsellman via trade or non-tendering him prior to his final year under team control, there’s a clear and obvious fit for Williams.

We’ll get to what I think will ultimately happen with Williams in a moment. First, let’s look at the other pitcher I could welcome back or cry no tears of sorrow if he left.