5 former NY Mets players from last year’s roster without a job as Opening Day nears

3) Joey Wendle

In the pantheon of notable Mets players, you won’t find even a mention of Joey Wendle. An early free agent addition by David Stearns last offseason, he was meant to be a utility infielder the team could use off the bench mostly for defensive purposes and the occasional spot start. The defense was lacking. The offense was as bad as it was the year prior when his production tanked. Wendle might have stuck around with the Mets through almost the end of May, but there never were many opportunities for him to play with just 18 games logged.

Wendle would go on to bat .222/.243/.250 in his 37 plate appearances. A double accounted for his lone extra-base hit. He hardly lived up to expectations on the other side of the ball. He made 2 errors in only 7 chances at third base. Another as a second baseman in 24 chances added to what became a head-scratching roster addition.

It’s been a while since Wendle has actually had a professional baseball gig. He signed with the Atlanta Braves days after the Mets released him, but never actually played a single game for their organization. Interestingly, Zack Short would be the one to replace him on their roster. Short, as you may recall, was the less experienced co-Opening Day roster mate of Wendle who played even less, hit more poorly, and had no justification whatsoever for making the team.

Retirement might be in the near future for Wendle if he has gone this long without signing and not even a minor league deal has been agreed upon.