3 potential Mets waiver wire pickups to watch closely in August if teams offer some freebies

We saw something funny happen last year. After buying at the trade deadline, the Los Angeles Angels collapsed and saw themselves falling out of playoff contention before August was even over with. They decided to bail on several players on expiring contracts, opting to place several newcomers on waivers. It benefitted teams like the Cleveland Guardians and Miami Marlins who believed they were still contending and had a good spot on the waiver wire. This year’s New York Mets, looking to seize every opportunity they can to improve, have a chance to benefit if something similar happens this year.

Mets outfielder Harrison Bader knows this process well. The New York Yankees placed him on waivers last year when they fell out of the running.

1) Andrew Heaney

The defending champion Texas Rangers bought lightly at the trade deadline. An impressive pitching staff albeit more injured one now with Jon Gray and Max Scherzer both out, free-agent-to-be Andrew Heaney is someone we could see added to the waiver wire before August is through.

The Rangers would need to go on an impressive run to make it to the postseason. They’ll regret not selling. What they can do is relieve themselves of a little bit of salary by placing some players on waivers. Heaney is one of the obvious choices.

Getting paid $13 million this year, the final month of his contract won’t be a whole lot. Every penny counts. 

Heaney has gone 4-11 with a 4.12 ERA this season in 21 starts and a relief appearance. A very limited pitcher in terms of the number of innings to expect out of him, he’d be a good fit for the Mets in case of another injury and probably not someone who’d be much of an upgrade over David Peterson.

According to Spotrac, the Rangers are projected to have a tax bill of $3.5 million. It’s small in comparison to the $97+ million the Mets will pay. Waiving Heaney is a reasonable way to attempt to get under the penalty and reset for a run next year.

2) Michael Conforto

A Mets consideration at the trade deadline, Michael Conforto is getting paid $18 million this season by the San Francisco Giants. They, too, convinced themselves that a postseason run was possible. They didn’t sell much, only ridding themselves of Jorge Soler’s contract. Once they officially fall too far out of the Wild Card spot, adding Conforto to the waiver wire is another way to lower the payroll.

Conforto goes into Sunday hitting .224/.300/.414 in 323 plate appearances. He has 11 home runs and 41 RBI in a season that is essentially a replication of his down year in 2023 when he had a .718 OPS. This year it’s four points lower at .714.

Conforto is much less of a fit for the Mets now with Jesse Winker on the roster. However, September’s roster expansion and the questionable health of Starling Marte should have the Mets exploring all possibilities.

The Giants have an estimated tax bill of $2.8 million. Insignificant when considering how many dollars float around Major League Baseball, ownership has little to lose by waiving Conforto if they fall out of the playoff chase.