FanSided

3 Mets players who need to be demoted or DFA'd immediately

By JOSUE DE JESUS |
New York Mets v Los Angeles Dodgers
New York Mets v Los Angeles Dodgers / Katelyn Mulcahy/GettyImages
1 of 3
Next

The New York Mets find themselves in a bad situation. During the last weeks, the team has been playing below the expected level, losing series against the Washington Nationals, Detroit Tigers, and Colorado Rockies. Now the team finds its record below .500 and is seven games behind the Atlanta Braves for the division lead.

This depressing situation of a team with an inconsistent offense and pitching needs to make radical changes to its roster to start an improvement process before it's too late. In this sense, some decisions must be made urgently regarding three players who are occupying a space on the roster and are not offering the necessary results.

1) The Mets must demote Luis Guillorme as soon as today

Luis Guillorme is a player with some value on the team thanks to his defense in the Mets' infield. However, in offensive terms, his level is well below what he has shown in previous years.

Guillorme is batting at his lowest average since 2018 and with an increasingly deteriorating batting profile. His tendency to strike out has increased significantly, with his K% growing by almost 10 points over 2022.

In a new era in baseball where putting the ball in play guarantees a higher chance of getting on base and producing, thanks to the banned defensive shift, this increase in strikeouts only makes his situation worse. Likewise, when he puts the ball in play, he is doing it with a greater tendency to hit balls on the ground.

For as much value as can be placed on their defense and infield versatility, the Mets' sluggish offense needs productive hitters, and Guillorme isn't one of them. Luckily for the team, he has one remaining minor league option which gives the team flexibility.

The Mets can drop Guillorme and give another hitter in the minors a chance to produce for the team. Needless to say, there are two certain prospects, in the name of Mark Vientos and Ronny Mauricio, who are more than ready to contribute to the big team.

2) Tommy Hunter's Mets experiment came to an end

In the last two seasons, Tommy Hunter racked up 22 games with the Mets limiting the opposition to hitting below .230 and establishing himself as a reliable reliever when showing health. This 2023 Hunter has been practically dead.

Tommy Hunter's 2023 ERA is the highest since his MLB debut in 2008. His dominance on the mound has diminished tremendously, reducing his strikeout percentage by nearly five points.

Hunter has lost speed on his sinker and cutter, his two main pitches, which he uses 70% of the time. On the other hand, despite allowing fewer hard hits, they are hitting him more, which has raised his BABIP this season.

Buck Showalter's strategy this year has been to use his starters fewer innings and rely more on his bullpen. This move requires reliable arms in a bullpen that lacks its main weapon for the season, Edwin Diaz.

Unfortunately, Hunter does not have more minor-league options. The Mets have no choice but to designate him for assignment. By making this move, the Mets will create space on the roster to add another arm to an overused bullpen.

The experiment with Tommy Hunter cannot continue waiting for it to show positive results. The Mets have the option of bringing up a well-known arm like Jose Butto or call up Grant Hartwig who has the best slider among the Mets' pitching prospects.

3) There isn't much room for Jimmy Yacabonis in Mets bullpen

One of Jimmy Yacabonis's first appearances with the Mets this 2023 was quite positive. The day Max Scherzer was suspended for finding a sticky substance on the fingers of his pitching hand and glove. On that occasion, Yacabonis pitched 2.2 innings against the Dodgers helping the team weather the MadMax suspension.

From this point on, Yacabonis has been very inconsistent especially in his appearance against the Colorado Rockies, allowing five earned runs in just 0.1 innings. These last few appearances for the young pitcher put him in a difficult position to stay on the team.

The former Marlins pitcher finds himself handicapped by walks, balls in play, and low strikeout capacity. Currently, the opposition is hitting over .300 and his BABIP is almost at .370, which is a horrible result.

The Mets are not in a position to be patient and expect players like Yacabonis to put up a good start every three or four appearances. Steve Cohen has committed a lot of resources to an organization that should be competing head-to-head for division leadership.

At this point in the season, Jimmy Yacabonis generates inflexibility in a roster without many spaces to move. The Mets should designate Yacabonis for assignment to use the spot to call up a minor-league pitcher or look for an outside option.

Next. 3 trades we would like to see get done by the Mets. dark

Next
Home / New York Mets News

Schedule