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3 Mets players who could lose their roster spot to Reed Garrett or Sean Reid-Foley

Two Mets roster spots will need to soon clear out with Reed Garrett and Sean Reid-Foley set to return as early as this week.

By Tim Boyle |
Washington Nationals v New York Mets
Washington Nationals v New York Mets / Jim McIsaac/GettyImages
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The New York Mets could have Reed Garrett and Sean Reid-Foley back in the fold this week. The Mets roster looks a lot different since they last pitched. A couple of veteran arms and some greener pitchers have joined the roster. There is much less space for everyone than there previously was. The bad news with these two is neither pitched particularly well in their rehab assignment in Double-A on Sunday.

The way this year’s Mets have operated with the roster has been rather ruthless. When they run out of bullets, they simply add a bayonet to the top of the rifle and dig into the underperforming player’s guts. Jake Diekman and Adrian Houser were two of the more recent casualties of war. Could we see something else so brazen?

Upon the return of Garrett and Reid-Foley, the Mets will have to consider who they will replace. Garrett has options to the minor leagues but has been one of their best relievers. Reid-Foley doesn’t so unless they part ways with him, someone is sure to get bumped out of the picture. Who could it be?

1) The doesn’t deserve it but that’s the business buddy demotion candidate, Alex Young

Lefty Alex Young was a savvy pickup by the Mets well before the trade deadline frenzy began. The expectations for him this year don’t go beyond the way the Mets have already used him. He’s going to get to know Flushing and Syracuse the same.

Seemingly the second-in-command among the lefties the Mets now have available behind Danny Young but ahead of Matt Gage, his limited usage tells us a lot about what they think. Young remains outside the circle of trust in the Mets bullpen. He’s going to have to earn it by performing well in whatever chances he gets.

Alas, even if he goes on a hot streak or strikes out an MVP candidate to finish off a game, his status on the roster isn’t safe. Young is on the Mets roster for freshness and as a hopefully improved version of what Diekman was meant to be.

He might not deserve a demotion, but it’s the practical roster move to make.

2) The unfortunate demotion candidate we’d like to see more from before rushing to judgment, Huascar Brazoban

Huascar Brazoban remains a good trade deadline addition even if he has meltdowns like he did in his second appearance. He looked way too good in his Mets debut to panic just yet. A part of what made this such a good trade with the Miami Marlins is that despite being nearly 35-years-old, Brazoban has all three of his minor league options left. Team control has a special place in the hearts of general managers. It’s why a player like Jason Adam was traded by the Tampa Bay Rays to the San Diego Padres for the kind of haul you’d previously expect from a star everyday player.

Brazoban’s place within the Mets bullpen is far from sturdy. The ability to option him to the minor leagues is now more tempting with these two pitchers coming back from an injury. It doesn’t have to be for very long. He should hop on the same train as Alex Young in the endless cycle of players going back and forth between Triple-A and the majors.

Brazoban was way too good with the Marlins for us to sell this trade deadline addition after one bad inning which, frankly, he would have had the manager saving him from.

Choosing to send Brazoban down will allow the Mets to keep Danny Young on the roster and give them at least one left—assuming it’s Alex Young who also gets sent to the minors.

But if not this pairing, the Mets seem to only have one other realistic choice.

3) The Mets pitcher we've grown tired of seeing and should maybe think about DFA'ing, Adam Ottavino

Adam Ottavino couldn’t even get through his last inning on Saturday and Carlos Mendoza has chosen to use him in smaller spots lately. Since allowing 2 earned runs versus the Washington Nationals in the 8th inning on July 9th, Ottavino hasn’t pitched in any clear high-leverage spots late in games. His sixth inning appearance against the New York Yankees on July 23rd is the closest thing and he allowed as many runs as batters he retired—one. It’s a nice ode to Metallica, U2, and Harry Nilsson. We should be doubtful this was Ottavino’s intent.

DFA’ing Ottavino would be the bold move to make. It might not be the most sensible after what we saw out of Brazoban. Ottavino doesn’t have a high place on the pedestal for the Mets right now. He still gets a seat and unfortunately for him, the only thing he is getting fed are innings in games already lost or won. Sunday’s appearance was one of the more important appearances he has gotten in a couple of weeks.

It will take a few players outperforming Ottavino for a lengthier period of time for him to end up cut in half. Already on the chopping block, his survival into August shows the team has at least a little faith in him—or maybe it’s a lack of trust in some of those newcomers.

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