NY Mets sign former first-round pick who has been stuck in the minors for 2 seasons

He'll provide the Mets with good infield depth in the minors.
Philadelphia Phillies v Pittsburgh Pirates
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It wasn’t the addition New York Mets fans were hoping for. Every move can make a difference, right? After what Jose Iglesias did for the team in 2024 on a minor league deal, we’re all paying close attention to any ounce of help a roster addition can bring.

On Monday, the Mets broke a drought of somewhat significant minor league additions by signing former first round pick Christian Arroyo. Taken 25th overall in the 2013 draft, the 30-year-old infielder hasn’t played in the majors since 2023.

Your standard infielder who hits light and has played all over the field, including some outfield, it’s only an intriguing addition for the Mets because he hasn’t been a total bust in the majors despite not getting an at-bat in the show for two full seasons.

Christian Arroyo is actually a pretty good addition to the Mets depth chart

A lifetime .252/.299/.394 hitter, Arroyo actually pieced together a satisfying stretch with the Boston Red Sox when he last appeared in the majors. His slash line with Boston from mid-2020 through 2023 included a .264/.306/.411 batting line. He even found himself in right field for a good chunk of time albeit not playing the position well at all.

Arroyo isn’t the “toolsy” kind of addition that’ll have us carving out a role for him immediately. He’s more protection in case of a lengthy injury or defense from having to call up a kid too soon. He shouldn’t seriously challenge anyone for a roster spot. Think of him more as a guy who could come to the majors in late May, spark the team, and release an album.

Okay, maybe not quite.

With additions on this level, we immediately can poo-poo them or tip our caps. This is one of the latter. The Mets don’t have a whole lot of good infield depth in the minor leagues who’d be able to immediately step into big league at-bats. Arroyo, coming off a year where he hit over .300 in Triple-A for the Philadelphia Phillies, seems like a good grab for the Mets on the same level as a player like Joey Meneses last offseason. Like Meneses, we hope we never see Arroyo in the majors because it probably means something has gone terribly wrong.

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