NY Mets roster turnover leaves behind prospect who deserves another look

After a trade deadline bloodbath we all saw coming, the New York Mets had to make a lot of roster moves. The bullpen was left practically vacant. An entire clown car full of guys trying to make a first impression in the big leagues, or possibly a final one, were summoned to the majors.

As active as the Mets were at the trade deadline, only one position player spot opened up. It went to Cristian Pache whose .181 batting average in the majors excites nobody. Batting only .232 with a .645 OPS down in Triple-A, Pache is confirming what the league already knows.

A reasonable flier for the Mets to add this past offseason, his promotion is curious because it leaves behind Nick Morabito. Overmatched when he was with the team earlier this year, the trade of Tyrone Taylor and injury to Juan Soto has left the Mets with a wide open spot in the outfield as long as they’re willing to not overuse Luis Robert Jr. In which case, why would you? Despite the snake oil advertisement David Stearns put out about Robert in the final two months, we can’t reasonably believe there’s any chance he’s back. Why not, while you can, give some at-bats to Morabito?

There’s no good reason why Nick Morabito is still in the minors

His 9 strikeouts in 12 plate appearances showed everyone he wasn’t ready. Months later with a .260/.365/.394 slash line, Morabito has played his way into the conversation as a September call-up. Why wait?

Instead, we get the non-optional Pache who has been worse than Morabito in the minor leagues. Morabito is already on the 40-man roster. Other than delaying his free agency or attempting to save any reduction in trade value, it’s a puzzling decision.

Not many players in Syracuse have hit their way into being promotion candidates for the Mets. A guy like Ronny Mauricio, who wouldn’t have anywhere to play, we can understand. His final minor league option has already been exhausted this season and he’s teetering on becoming non-tendered in the offseason if not traded or allowed to have a part-time role out of camp. Morabito is only in year one of being on the 40-man roster. Set up to take on the exact role that has opened up, the fourth/fifth outfielder who can run like Taylor was, the only reason is to keep getting him as many opportunities as possible in the minor leagues. Is another month of that worth it?

The issue circles back to the Mets’ inability to find a trade partner for Robert. His $20 million option for next year seems like an extreme payment given the team’s current structure. There is literally no room for him other than to become one of the league’s most expensive backup outfielders. When you can’t even trust him to stay on the field, it’s an irrational move to make.

While the Mets audition everyone from Jefry Yan to your grandmother for a bullpen spot next year, the position player group is essentially staying the same at the moment. Opportunities for Morabito aren’t going to suddenly open up later, especially with Soto not ruled out. Give him that taste for some 2026 redemption while you can and not just a September sip.

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