3 seemingly useful NY Mets free agent signings that already failed to be impactful

Good thought. Unimpactful results.
Arizona Diamondbacks v New York Mets
Arizona Diamondbacks v New York Mets | Jim McIsaac/GettyImages
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A knack for adding players the average fan hasn’t even heard of, David Stearns also deserves a hat tip for acquiring players whose names are recognizable but might’ve been flying under the radar. New York Mets fans have learned to realize anyone Stearns signs to a contract or trades for might have something beyond their numbers to add to the team. A wizard with these lesser additions, not all of them end up working out as planned.

Already, we’ve seen these three seemingly useful Mets free agent signings fail to have the positive effect on the team we first thought they could.

1) Genesis Cabrera

Lefty bullpen depth is important and the Mets weren’t going to get caught coming into the season without options. Unfortunately, their big free agent grab A.J. Minter went down with an early-season injury. Shortly after, Danny Young suffered a season-ending injury of his own. In came Genesis Cabrera whose biggest problem has been working with the bases congested.

Cabrera was coming off of a decent year with the Toronto Blue Jays, pitching to a 3.59 ERA in 62.2 innings. Despite the ability to prevent runs, he was only able to secure a minor league deal with the Mets. Too many walks, not enough strikeouts can help explain away why Cabrera never did find a major league deal. The Mets needed to turn to him early in the season and after 7.2 innings and a 3.52 ERA, they were backed into a decision with their bullpen. Someone would either need to be demoted or lose their job. They chose the latter and Cabrera was the casualty.

DFA’d but quickly added to the Chicago Cubs on a major league contract as a free agent, the Mets decided sticking with Jose Castillo was the better way to proceed than to see if there was more untapped talent in Cabrera. They were proven correct. Cabrera’s time with the Cubs ended with 9.1 innings and 9 earned runs charged to his ERA. Included are 4 home runs allowed.

What felt like an offseason steal ended up as what’ll be a forgettable member of the 2025 squad.