3) Danny Young
There is no urgency to DFA Danny Young. Yeah, he stunk late in the year. He wasn’t usable in the postseason. The Mets have A.J. Minter around to knock him down the depth chart. As a lefty, Young gets the benefit of planting his feet firmly for a little while longer than most. The organization lacks credible left-handed relief options.
Only one scenario would work to cost Young his roster spot at the moment: signing a different lefty reliever to a MLB deal. Even then, the Mets might prefer to let Young loiter in case of an injury. The team has added Genesis Cabrera this offseason on a minor league deal already for some protection (or at least a look in spring training). They’re equipped to handle some kind of unforeseen injury.
Young would be a bold bet to be the next player bumped off the Mets 40-man roster. The one major negative with him now is he no longer has minor league options. The team was able to send him to Syracuse last season as needed, at least once swapping him for unrelated fellow southpaw Alex Young. He’s back with the Cincinnati Reds by the way, signing a minor league deal.
A clear upgrade over Young is the most reasonable reason to remove him from the roster. Personally, I’d like to see him stick around but fully understand bullpen spots are minimal. There are better options out there.