6 once beloved former NY Mets players still without a job as spring training nears

4) Daniel Vogelbach

You might have blinked and missed the time when Daniel Vogelbach was a beloved member of the Mets. When he first came over in the middle of the 2022 season, he seemed to fit right in. The Mets needed some more firepower out of the DH spot. His build more resembling a football player than a guy who plays baseball helped make him a guy Mets fans gravitated toward positively. He wasn’t a bad person either. Most important of all, he was excellent.

There are certain Mets players who come through Flushing and leave without the best of memories. We shouldn’t forget just how productive Vogelbach was in his 183 plate appearances in 2022. Slashing .255/.393/.436 with 6 home runs and 25 RBI, he should be regarded as one of the better midseason additions in recent years.

A sour feeling came upon seeing him struggle regularly in 2023. Vogelbach received 319 plate appearances and would hit only .233/.339/.404. The drop wasn’t as frustrating as it was the expectations for the 2023 Mets and how he held them back because of how cold he was early in the season. Forced into the lineup, the exhaustion of a DH-only player who can’t hit lefties continues to make some fans hesitant to employ another player anything like Vogelbach.

A new contract will be hard to come by. All he received last year was a minor league deal with an invite to camp from the Toronto Blue Jays. After making the team and batting only .186/.278/.300 with a single home run, Vogey should prepare for an opportunity overseas or another minor league deal, unless he’s ready to retire.