3 upcoming Mets free agents damaging their offseason stock with a weak finish

Coming up small, or not at all, will hurt these three Mets free agents in the offseason.

Philadelphia Phillies v New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies v New York Mets / Dustin Satloff/GettyImages
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Free agency isn’t at the forefront of mind for the New York Mets. With two days and up to three games left to play, earning a Wild Card spot is where the focus is.

The same goes for some particular players who for much of the last few weeks have failed to show up in big, medium, and small spots. These three upcoming Mets free agents have been virtually absent in September. Their stock is plummeting at the worst time for the team and their next contract.

1) J.D. Martinez

J.D. Martinez already had a tough time in his last two trips into free agency getting the kind of money his stats suggested he deserved. Settling for a one-year deal worth $10 million two winters ago to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers, he ended up on a heavily deferred deal with the Mets for the 2024 season. Unfortunately for Martinez, now a year older, limited to DH duties, and a weak September will all combine to make him an undesirable free agent for many teams.

Re-signing Martinez never seemed all that possible for the Mets who only seemed to back into getting him on a discounted deal. By deferring the money, the hit of signing him counted less against the luxury tax thus giving them no choice but to upgrade the DH spot. For what we can only assume is a myriad of reasons, Martinez’s slow finish has completely taken away any thought of a new deal for 2025.

How many teams out there will be interested at all in a 37-year-old DH with decreasing power? Martinez did manage to have a couple of big hits for the Mets this season. His first career walk-off stands out as the peak.

Unbelievably watching games from the bench a whole lot more in the midst of a last stand by the Mets to make it to the postseason, fans aren’t too distressed to see the team look at alternatives. Martinez has committed arson against his next free agent contract.

The epic ongoing slump for Martinez has dropped his season totals to a .232/.317/.404 slash line. He hasn’t had a hit since September 9.

2) Jesse Winker

Jesse Winker was even less popular than Martinez over the winter. Settling on a deal worth less than $1 million to play for the Washington Nationals, he came to the Mets at the trade deadline in exchange for pitching prospect Tyler Stuart. At the time, the Mets needed outfield help of any kind. Starling Marte was hurt and the team felt it could use a left-handed bat with the way DJ Stewart wasn’t hitting.

Winker gave the Mets some incredible energy. Big hits in August had many thinking he’d be a candidate to come back the following year. A September only masked by how bad Martinez has done should have the Mets staying away from any sort of reunion.

This month, Winker crashed. The delectable .343/.357/.508 he hit in August is a nine-course meal complete with a dessert buffet. September has been a bitter piece of moldy bread at .071/.250/.143. His grand slam accounts for all 4 of the runs he has batted in this month.

Instead of being the solution for Martinez’s struggles, Winker pairs right up next to him as yet another weakness on the roster. He won’t be as popular in free agency as he would’ve been if the season ended a month ago.

3) Harrison Bader

Signed to a deal that looked like he’d be the everyday center fielder, the Mets carefully gave Harrison Bader lots of time off early in the season only for him to later win back more of an everyday gig. Unfortunately, struggles at the plate for most of the second-half had them turning more frequently to Brandon Nimmo or Tyrone Taylor for starts in center field. Bader then became more of a glove off the bench.

Paid a rather hefty $10.5 million this year, Bader did manage to outperform many others in his free agent class. Michael A. Taylor, Kevin Kiermaier, and others gave their teams zero on offense. At least for a good chunk of the first part of the year, Bader was among the most consistent Mets hitters. Then came the fall-off which gave his free agent stock a big hit.

In the second half, Bader has seen his playing time diminish. A part of it is based on the addition of Winker. Much larger is how he has done at the plate. 

The theme of the Mets has been struggling hitters who were coming through earlier this year. Bader is down to .240/.288/.379 on the year. It’s not just September either. A .174/.231/.326 slash line this month nearly identically matches the .175/.246/.302 he hit in August. Amazingly consistent in the four prior months, the fall-off won’t do him any favors when he becomes a free agent.

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