3 players we hope the front office doesn't force onto the roster like they did with Daniel Vogelbach

Phil Bickford

Amid all of the selling, the Mets actually did add at the trade deadline, too. Phil Bickford and Adam Kolarek were acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers for cash. Both were on the DFA bubble already so it was more of a payment to not have to go through the waiver process or seek them out in free agency.

Bickford was even less impactful than Gott as he came to the team after they had already waved the white flag. He somehow ended up in almost as many innings as Gott despite the later start. Bickford would go on to toss 25.1 frames for the Mets and finish with a 4.62 ERA. He was a below-average arm that only made sense for the ball club to add to help them get through the year.

Bickford has one huge knock against him in terms of staying with the Mets. He doesn’t have any more minor league options. A player of his skill doesn’t have room on the big league roster. The Mets can point toward some success Gott had and even point at the financial implications for reasoning. What does Bickford have going for him other than age?

The Mets can only afford to have one pitcher on the Opening Day roster without minor league options and some questions. Is Bickford the guy? Please, don’t force this on us.