5 former Mets players still without a job with spring training games approaching

Eduardo Escobar and Daniel Vogelbach agreed to minor league deals with the Toronto Blue Jays late last week. The pair of Opening Day starters for the New York Mets will look to earn their way back into Major League Baseball with a hot spring or maybe just a strong stint in Triple-A if they don’t impress enough in camp.

They were far from alone in the free agent market. A relatively slow offseason for most teams and some big-time free agents, a couple more former Mets remain available with spring training already beginning.

1) Tommy Pham

Who’s Tommy Pham going to lead to the World Series this year? He began the 2023 season as a part-time player for the Mets. Guaranteed to start whenever they faced a lefty, he played his way into a more significant role. Pham did more than platoon with Vogelbach. He won starts away from Mark Canha as well.

Once the team decided to flip the script and sell at the trade deadline, he found himself sent out to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The little team that could found themselves winning a Wild Card spot and eventually a trip to the World Series. Reality did set in for them. The mightier Texas Rangers were prepared.

Pham is a curious free agent case. About to embark on his age 36 season, teams will be hesitant to commit to more than a year. No one saw him as an everyday player last year in free agency. Did he do enough in the regular season for them to reconsider?

Curiously, Pham is a theoretical fit for the Mets in some ways even now with the roster looking pretty much set. The minor league option they have on DJ Stewart could be used to give them an extra boost. However, the path to playing time would be tough. The Mets didn’t sign Harrison Bader to a $10.5 million deal to sit. Brandon Nimmo is in left field. Starling Marte will cover right field. Unless they pull the cord on Mark Vientos at the DH spot, Pham is bound to land elsewhere.