2 Mets players to non-tender, 2 to protect, 1 to shop in trades by Tuesday’s deadline

The New York Mets 40-man roster has plenty of space at the moment. If last year’s actions by David Stearns were any indications, he won’t hesitate to temporarily fill those 40 seats with waiver claims throughout the offseason.

Tuesday is a big day for MLB. It’s the day when qualifying offer decisions need to come in. It’s also the non-tender deadline which means several more players will be entering free agency. Some might even be pretty good and are only there because teams don’t want to pay them. This isn’t the case with the Mets. In addition to this, teams have to make their final decisions on who to protect on the 40-man roster before December’s Rule 5 Draft.

We’re bound to see a couple of key players from 2024 end up non-tendered and released by the ball club. Prospects not on the 40-man roster will be protected as well. The Mets also happen to have one player lingering on the 40-man roster they’d be wise to trade sooner than later.

Two Mets players to non-tender

Jose Azocar never made it to the majors last year with the Mets. A smart pickup in September to give them some possible speed off the bench in the final regular season month, this out of options outfielder has no business hanging around the 40-man roster any longer than he needs to. Despite hitting .353 in his 55 plate appearances in Syracuse, there is enough of a track record at the professional level to realize he’s a good minor league piece and not someone to expect to survive the full length of an MLB season.

Azocar presents some fine tools, but serves the Mets better as a guy who can be re-signed to a minor league contract.

A name you may know slightly more falling into a similar category is Tyler Zuber. Acquired at the trade deadline from the Tampa Bay Rays, he got whipped in Syracuse. A 0-3 record and 12.38 ERA in 16 innings of work should be enough to show there are better options out there for the Mets.

Again, a new contract isn’t something to get upset about. Zuber could always get DFA’d later on and pass through waivers only to accept a minor league assignment. In either case, expectations for him are pretty non-existent.

Two Mets prospects to protect on the 40-man roster

Sorry Luke Ritter, you didn’t make the cut. As intriguing as you are, you just don’t fit into the mold of what the Mets are looking for. A productive hitter over the last two years, he’s not one of the two Mets prospects they absolutely need to protect. Expect a trade before the Rule 5 Draft so the Mets can walk away with something.

Dom Hamel, on the other hand, should be protected on the 40-man roster. This could always be temporary. Hamel didn’t have an inspiring 2024 campaign. He finished 5-9 with a 6.79 ERA. Hamel should be considered “on the block.” He turns 26 in March and after the year he put together, doesn’t look close to MLB-ready.

The Mets would be selling low on Hamel if they were to deal him away. Other clubs would absolutely snag him if available in the Rule 5 Draft which makes him important to protect for now regardless of what the future outcome is.

Mike Vasil is in the same spot. He struggled in Triple-A in 2024, too. A year younger than Hamel almost to the day, he was 8-10 with a 6.04 ERA. Triple-A hasn’t been kind to him. In 16 starts the previous season, Vasil was 4-4 with a 5.30 ERA. Maybe this is just a wall he’ll never get over or a push to the majors somehow yields better results.