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3 Mets DFA candidates who could lose their 40-man roster spot before Opening Day

By Tim Boyle |
Sep 14, 2021; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Jake Reed (72) throws
Sep 14, 2021; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Jake Reed (72) throws / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
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The New York Mets 40-man roster actually has a number of notable prospects on it who won’t be losing their spot anytime soon. This includes Ronny Mauricio and Mark Vientos as well as lesser prospects like Jose Butto.

But like all 40-man rosters, there are a few guys who might not be so lucky. They have a few more years behind them. To fit the best players on the roster that they can, there are going to be casualties.

For the Mets, they have some big roster decisions to make. No left-handed reliever is on it right now and they may need to add Travis Jankowski onto it for their Opening Day roster. With two spots possibly up for grabs, these three players might be the most likely ones to lose their spot.

NY Mets relief pitcher Jake Reed might be the most likely DFA candidate on the 40-man roster

Jake Reed doesn’t fit in with what the Mets need most in their bullpen. Behind the other right-handed relievers within the organization, it’s going to take an injury for him to make the Opening Day roster.

Reed is already 29 and has only 10 big league innings under his belt. All of them came last year with 4.2 of them as a member of the Mets. The other 5.1 occurred as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Reed never really seemed to fit the long-term plans for the Mets due to his age and lack of experience. He was brought in last year as a temporary option. If there’s anyone the team can move on from without a thought, it’s him.

The other two options might be a little tougher to decide on. Using the same logic, we have another pair of pitchers the Mets could DFA before the opener.

May 23, 2021; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Jordan Yamamoto (45) delivers a
May 23, 2021; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Jordan Yamamoto (45) delivers a / Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

NY Mets might have seen enough from Jordan Yamamoto and choose to DFA him

Jordan Yamamoto didn’t get to pitch much for the Mets last year due to an injury. When he did get promoted, he logged only 6.2 innings for them. Down in the minors with Syracuse and a few innings in rehab, he logged 32.2 innings of work.

Yamamoto hasn’t had an exceptionally productive major league career in the limited time he has had in the show. His short-lived time with the Miami Marlins wasn’t that great. While he won’t turn 26 until May, it’s beginning to become clear that he is best utilized as depth and not much else.

Working in Yamamoto’s favor could be the fact that the Mets traded for him. Reed was a waiver claim. Yamamoto cost the Mets a player. They are a little more invested in him. Plus, with the ability to start, he is also a bit more valuable.

Working against Yamamoto could be a numbers crunch even at the Triple-A level. Jose Butto, Tylor Megill, and David Peterson should all have rotation spots there. So could a guy like Josh Walker or Connor Grey. The Mets don’t have an exceptional number of starting pitching prospects knocking on the door but they do have a couple of contenders to begin the year in Syracuse.

Yamamoto isn’t going to start games for the Mets unless they have no other option. He could work as a long man out of the bullpen, but the team has other guys to fill this role.

Will the Mets move on from Yamamoto after a single season? A limit of 40 men on their roster could indeed force them to.

Jun 19, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Sean Reid-Foley
Jun 19, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Sean Reid-Foley / Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

NY Mets have no minor league options left for Sean Reid-Foley and that’s not good for him

Sean Reid-Foley is out of minor league options which is not good news for his future with the Mets. Even if he does begin the season on the Mets roster, he’s unlikely to last the whole year with them. Eventually, the team will need a fresher arm. With limited options to demote to the minors, SRF could end up getting DFA’ed.

Far more likely than Reid-Foley starting the season on the Mets and seeing a DFA after a few weeks is a parting of ways before the year begins. Reid-Foley wasn’t particularly good at any level last year. He does have the benefit of age and ability to start over Reed but he throws right-handed and is buried on the depth chart.

Compared to Yennsy Diaz, the other pitcher the Mets picked up and kept in the Steven Matz trade with the Toronto Blue Jays, Reid-Foley’s issue comes down to the zero options left. Diaz still has one which makes him far more valuable this year.

For some context, Seth Lugo and Drew Smith are the lone expected guys to make the Opening Day bullpen with minor league options. Lugo isn’t getting demoted and Smith has been too good for it. The Mets need to have at least a spot in their bullpen that they can use to shuttle players back and forth. Reid-Foley doesn’t fit this description and it could lead to a preseason DFA.

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