Mike Tauchman is hitting free agency after opting out of his deal with the New York Mets. Not enough of a reason to promote him and take away at-bats from anyone, the Mets obliged and send him into the open market to have an opportunity to sign on with a contender.
Mike Tauchman exercised the out in his Mets contract and is now an ex-Met
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) August 5, 2026
Only days after the MLB trade deadline which had several teams appearing as if they did less than the minimum, Tauchman is only a year removed from hitting .263/.356/.400 with the Chicago White Sox.
Any of these three teams, with a need for someone who can mash righties and get on base, have an opportunity to add someone on the cheap.
These three teams just got a gift from the Mets with Mike Tauchman hitting free agency
Arizona Diamondbacks
A failed trade to acquire Clay Holmes headlined the news around the Arizona Diamondbacks at the trade deadline. They did pick up Lars Nootbaar to help alleviate some of the pain they’ve suffered against right-handed pitchers this year. On Wednesday, their .677 OPS versus right-handed pitchers was the worst in the league and a point behind the .678 coming from the Mets. Room to stash him on the bench and let him work his way into more regular at-bats, it’s a move they shouldn’t pass up.
Cleveland Guardians
Jo Adell and Nathaniel Lowe hardly move the needle. The Mets have gotten to see up close how limited the Cleveland Guardians are. A team built on its pitching, they’re a left-handed heavy team already without results. Signing Tauchman seems right up their alley as a move to bring in an additional reinforcement. The American League is wide open and not making Tauchman a major league offer would be criminal.
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins didn’t have an exceptional trade deadline with a light buy of A.J. Minter, Dean Kremer, and Jeff Hoffman. Alex Rodon and Austin Martin are regularly sharing right field. Is Tauchman worse? Cheap pop that they aren’t necessarily missing, signing Tauchman would be leaning more heavily into what they already have. It’s playing to their strength. Below-average pitching from their starters and relievers, Tauchman can make up for those extra runs they tend to allow.
