3 players that are already offseason non-tender candidates

2) NY Mets offseason non-tender candidate: Joey Lucchesi

In the 2021 offseason, the Mets acquired Joey Lucchesi from the Padres to round out their rotation. They sent catching prospect Endy Rodriguez (who is now a top 100 prospect) to Pittsburgh in the trade that sent Joe Musgrove to San Diego.

The Mets got the worst part of the deal. Lucchesi is fun to watch because of his awkward motion and his "churve" but he wasn't great in his first season as a Met.

The southpaw went five innings just twice out of his eight starts, and they just so happened to be his final two starts prior to tearing his UCL in his left shoulder. This shut him down for the season and he has not appeared in a game since after needing Tommy John Surgery.

Lucchesi has been working his way back and might find his way onto the roster at the end of this season as a reliever, but a postseason spot seems highly unlikely.

Lucchesi will be entering his second arbitration year this coming offseason. Starting pitching depth is very important as we've learned this season. I don't know where the Mets would be if they didn't have guys like David Peterson and Trevor Williams ready to step into the rotation after the injuries to their rotation.

I can see the Mets keeping that in mind and tendering the southpaw a contract, but I also wouldn't be surprised if they let him go. They can find cheaper depth that might even be better than Lucchesi.