NY Mets should target Blue Jays roster cut, a player David Stearns originally drafted

David Stearns has a habit of reuniting with players. It should never be a surprise for him to bring anyone associated with the Milwaukee Brewers to the New York Mets. Whenever a player becomes available and you spot that he was drafted by the Brewers in the Stearns era, see if you can find a reason why he might match the Mets.

That’s what happened this weekend. To clear room for Kazuma Okamoto, Paxton Schultz was DFA’d. Drafted by the Brewers in 2019 and quickly traded to the Toronto Blue Jays, he has that Stearnsian lineage in him.

Schultz wasn’t a high draft pick (14th round) nor an exceptional minor league player. He turns 28 today, January 5. His gift could be an opportunity to pitch elsewhere. The Mets should consider him if he drops far enough down the waiver wire.

Paxton Schultz looks like he has some of the qualities the Mets value in bullpen arms

This is what Shultz accomplished last year in the majors: 24.2 innings in 13 games with a 10.2 K/9 rate and 2.9 BB/9. An ERA+ of 99, he was a hair behind the most averageness of pitchers.

That’s okay. With minor league options available, the Mets can purposefully stuff him onto the Triple-A roster. They’ve already added Cooper Criswell this offseason as a long man candidate. Schultz would be added depth in a role they frequently covet.

Going multiple innings at a time with a high strikeout rate sitting at 25.2% in the majors has intrigue. He’s far from perfect. A 4.38 ERA plus a slightly above-average home run rate at 3.6% (3.1% for the league) tells us Schultz is indeed a gamble.

The Mets have a full 40-man roster themselves with candidates to easily move aside for a shot at a player like Schultz. Alex Carrillo is a few months older and in his brief sample size, the inferior pitcher. He’d be the first choice but if the Mets wanted to go with Ji Hwan Bae, you’d get no complaints.

The Mets have gotten quieter in terms of smaller moves like these. An extended holiday for the front office perhaps after a busy November and December? The Mets still have to throw their haymakers. A player like Schultz is a sneaky left-cross.