Suddenly available former NY Yankees player is an ideal NY Mets trade target

Beyond being from Toms River where baseball players always seem to emerge, being an ex-New York Yankees player, and even the fun confusion it could cost to have him on the same roster as Ronny Mauricio, recently DFA’d reliever Ron Marinaccio is a great fit for what the New York Mets need in their bullpen. A solid run in parts of three seasons with the Yankees out of the bullpen, his lifetime MLB numbers include 114.2 innings of work and a 3.22 ERA. Strikeout numbers of 10.8 per 9 haven’t fully washed away the 4.8 walks per 9 he’ll carry with him into the 2025 season.

Marinaccio emerges as a potential Mets trade candidate based on a recent Chicago White Sox roster move. Picked up by the White Sox last year as a September waiver claim, Marinaccio was DFA’d to make room for Martin Perez on the roster.

Hardly a consolation prize for missing out on someone such as Tanner Scott, Marinaccio is a depth addition thanks to a remaining minor league option the Yankees never used up.

Ron Marinaccio is an experienced and successful big league reliever the Mets could use in what should be a constantly revolving bullpen

A planned six-man rotation for the Mets will make the relievers with minor league options a whole lot more important for the Mets this coming season. Guys like Reed Garrett and Dedniel Nunez might be forced to the minors at some point because of the need for a fresh arm. We shouldn’t expect David Stearns to have a change of heart in the way he handles players. Quick to execute, the moment someone else internally is a better option he should turn to them.

The ability to stash Marinaccio in the minors makes him a viable target at all. His major league numbers are surprisingly not all that different from his time in Triple-A. In 91.1 innings there, he has a 3.35 ERA, 4.3 walks per 9, and 11.4 strikeouts per 9.

Marinaccio has been capable of inducing softer contact, owning an 86.3 mph exit velocity against him and 33.8% hard-hit rate. Both are better than the league average. More of a fly ball pitcher than some might prefer, it hasn’t been too costly. That’s because hitters at the major league level are slashing just .188/.316/.323 against him.

Marinaccio should be pretty popular on the trade market where we should predict he ends up moved rather via waiver claim. Even a fairly non-competitive team would be wise to see what he can do. Not even arbitration eligible yet, he creates no dent in the payroll while allowing flexibility with the roster.

Cash considerations like it cost the Mets last year for Yohan Ramirez? I’d expect it to actually come at the price of a player. Marinaccio didn’t make it past the first team on last year’s waiver wire.