5 players who are definitely entering their final days with the NY Mets

2) Adam Ottavino

We should see more of Adam Ottavino after this season. The difference is it won’t be in a baseball uniform. Ottavino spent some of his time in the offseason appearing on SNY. His next career move after baseball should have him talking about the game while not actually participating in it any longer. Is this season Ottavino’s final act? It’s a safe guess to believe so.

Ottavino opted out of his contract with the Mets last offseason only to return for the same exact total sans any deferred money. He’ll turn 39 in November and given how much he regressed this season, it’ll be tough to imagine too many times making an investment even at a minimal amount. It can’t be easy to walk away from the game, but this is a likely outcome for Ottavino once the Mets wrap up their season.

Unfortunately for Ottavino, his days with the Mets could even be done after the regular season. A Mets postseason roster might not include him. He has fallen down the depth chart and out of trust with the manager. Routinely only used in blowouts or earlier in games when the team would prefer to rest their better arms, the Mets might not have much of a need for him. In fact, carrying a player like Quintana as a bullpen arm to eat innings in any potential blowout might make more sense.

Ottavino does have 18 games of playoff experience. Roughed around to a 5.68 ERA, it’s not good enough to believe he’ll be an October weapon.

3) Ryne Stanek

The verdict has yet to come in fully on Ryne Stanek. He should be able to make a Mets postseason roster. It might be a reason why the team decided to pursue him over some other choices at the trade deadline. An acceptable roster addition, Stanek’s numbers with the Mets might end up looking poorly from a lack of sample.

Where he does have a large enough sample to feel confident is in the playoffs. In 20 innings mostly as a member of the Houston Astros, Stanek is 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA. If there is any negative to take from his postseason experience it’s that 3 of the 6 earned runs he has allowed in the playoffs came in his two most recent series.

Strictly looking at his place with the Mets beyond this year, Stanek appears to be a pure rental. There’s a possibility the Mets re-sign him. He shouldn’t get anything more (or less) than the $4 million the Seattle Mariners paid him in the offseason. It’s a reasonable rate.

There are only so many members of the 2024 Mets for David Stearns to bring back. Stanek could fall back in line to rejoin the Mets. However, there is probably a greater chance of the team using his spot on optional choices or bigger upgrades out of the bullpen.

4) Harrison Bader

It has been a tale of about seven different seasons for the 2024 Mets. Center fielder Harrison Bader has only really had two. There was a successful first half and a not so memorable second one. He has fallen back to the mean and for the club to consider him back for next season would go against the way they’re using him more regularly right now. Bader has fallen behind Tyrone Taylor on the depth chart. While still a very capable and terrific defender, throwing another $10.5+ million plus at him to be a part-time player would be irresponsible when we witnessed up close how much he deflated.

Bader hasn’t been a bad Mets player. His attitude has been the right mix. He has had his clutch hits, too. The second-half fading and desire to go with Brandon Nimmo in center field even while he has slumped offensively should have the Mets looking at alternatives. They’ll actually have some coming up from the minor leagues. Everyone from Luisangel Acuna to Drew Gilbert to maybe even Jett Williams by midseason could be center field alternatives.

Paying any center fielder big money to come to the Mets next year doesn’t seem to match what they’ve evolved into. Would starting Taylor out there regularly work? Based on what he has offered them this year, it’s not a half-bad plan.

5) DJ Stewart

DJ Stewart was a really good story for a month last season. This year, he was exhaustive from almost the start. A more athletic and useful version of Daniel Vogelbach, Stewart’s inability to hit regularly despite always being put in the best position to succeed frustrated fans. The Mets avoided putting him at the plate against lefties as much as possible. He never rewarded them for their trust. A brief period this year included a whole lot of walks. The Eddie Gaedel strategy of getting on base doesn’t work when teams realize you aren’t going to do much damage when they start throwing you strikes.

Stewart is out of minor league options beginning next year which erases one of the useful parts of what made him a player worthy of keeping. There is no reason why he should be on the Mets Opening Day roster next year. As a result, his only way to return would be after re-signing on a minor league contract.

Stewart is a non-tender candidate and also a guy who could get kept around through spring training for some protection. The Mets have made a habit of overbooking the roster in recent years. Darin Ruf was one of the last roster cuts in 2023. Phil Bickford had a similar path in 2024.

On the right team, Stewart isn’t a bad player to have on the bench. The Mets aren’t the right team for him.