NY Mets legend's cousin is a candidate to temporarily fill one roster gap

You don’t make roster moves for the sake of family. It’s one of the reasons why the New York Mets didn’t trip over a carpet trying to sign Alexis Diaz in hopes of it increasing their chances to retain Edwin Diaz. Nevertheless, he should be a candidate to join the Mets on a flier deal. The same is true for the relative of a legendary Mets player, Darryl Strawberry.

Strawberry’s cousin Derek Hill is a free agent. Strawberry’s cousin is Hill’s father. In parts of 6-seasons in the majors, Hill hasn’t been much like Strawberry. At-bats with 6 different ball clubs, the out-of-options outfielder is just a .229 hitter in the majors leagues.

Why add him? He had an exceptional season as a defensive player last year. Playing only center field, he was worth 5 Outs Above Average. In only 57 games, it’s impressive. It ranks higher than Tyrone Taylor who was at 4.

How do the Mets obtain Derek Hill in the first place?

Hill went to the Chicago White Sox as a waiver claim late in 2025, possibly representing a replacement for Michael A. Taylor who decided to hang up his cleats. He appeared in just 4 games for Chicago before the season was over. They may not be completely motivated to move him, but he does become less useful if they fail to trade Luis Robert Jr.

The White Sox aren’t a team expected to add heavily this offseason, if at all. Trading Robert feels necessary to finally get out from under his contract. They’ve held onto him long enough in hopes of a godfather offer coming in.

Turning 30 at the end of the season, Hill should be a guy on the verge of getting DFA’d this season even if it’s the White Sox who have him. He wouldn’t cost much at all on the trade market, but he also isn’t coming here for free. We can always hope the White Sox put him on waivers at some point this offseason in favor of other players they may add to the organization. If so, it might be tough for him to fall fast enough where the Mets can grab him. He’d need to pass by every American League team before the Mets get a late crack at him.

Good career numbers against lefties, totalling a .279/.322/.457 slash line, he was far better against righties last year. He managed to bat only .185/.279/.296 against southpaws in 2025, putting up a .238/.282/.350 result against righties.

No, Hill isn’t ideal. The fact that he’s related to Strawberry adds to the storyline. What we know about the Mets is they can’t possibly go into next year with Taylor as their lone center field option on the roster for the bulk of games. A spot carved out for him on the bench as a defensive outfielder could suffice until Carson Benge proves he is MLB-worthy.