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5 Mets players still on the roster who will be non-tendered

By Zachary Rotman |
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The New York Mets will have a new look in 2024 after wrapping up one of their most disappointing seasons in franchise history. Several parts of the roster will remain the same as the Mets have an established core, but the pieces surrounding players like Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, and Kodai Senga (to name a few) will look quite different.

In order for the Mets to begin getting that new look, they have to part with players they don't envision making an impact. They already begun this process by outrighting six players off the 40-man roster including guys like Rafael Ortega, Jonathan Arauz, and Danny Mendick.

Those players leaving the franchise was rather obvious, but the Mets will have harder decisions to make in arbitration. Some of the 12 arbitration-eligible players will obviously be tendered deals for the 2024 season like Pete Alonso and David Peterson, but many of the list have their futures in limbo. These five will more likely than not be non-tendered.

1) Daniel Vogelbach

Most of the Mets fan base wants him gone, and there's a good chance Daniel Vogelbach has played in his final game with the New York Mets. He's entering the final year of control and won't see too big of a raise from the $1.5 million he earned in 2023, but Vogelbach's lack of flexibility makes him a player the Mets must part with.

For starters, Vogelbach did not play a single inning in the field with the Mets. Having the DH spot occupied by someone who cannot play the field is fine if that DH is someone like Shohei Ohtani or J.D. Martinez, but Vogelbach doesn't provide enough offensively to warrant taking up that roster spot.

Next, Vogelbach is incapable of hitting left-handed pitching. We all know he's fine against righties, but Vogelbach had just two hits in 15 at-bats all year against southpaws. He has hit at a .129 clip against lefties in his career. Everything is fine when he's in there against righties, but once a lefty comes into the game the Mets are forced to pinch hit for him.

The Mets are forced to play Vogelbach only against righties, and he must occupy the DH spot because he's incapable of playing the field. This limits their ability to put someone else at the DH spot if need be. Vogelbach only being a tick above-average offensively this season makes him a player worth almost nothing considering all of his limitations. If the Mets are unable to land Ohtani, finding someone who can contribute out of the DH spot while also playing the field and even hitting against both hands would be great.

2) Elieser Hernandez

The Mets acquired Elieser Hernandez in an offseason trade with the Marlins with hopes that he'd fill the Trevor Williams role from 2022. Williams was extremely effective shuttling back and forth between the rotation and long relief. A bonus with Hernandez was that he had options, meaning the Mets could send him down without passing him through waivers.

The right-hander was expected to begin the year in the minors as a starting option for the already badly-beaten Mets rotation, but wound up going onto the IL instead. Hernandez battled through injury most of the season and was limited to just 9.1 innings pitched overall.

While Hernandez has had some MLB success in the past, when last seen on a big league mound for the Marlins in 2022 he had a 6.35 ERA in 20 appearances (10 starts). The right-hander is entering his final year of team control and frankly did nothing to show the Mets he was worthy of sticking around.

The Mets do need pitching depth, but they've got guys like David Peterson, Tylor Megill, Jose Butto, and Joey Lucchesi who'd rank above him. The Mets need starters to rank ahead of those guys, and Hernandez certainly is not that. It's unfortunate that he really never got a chance to prove he was worth anything to the Mets because of his injuries, but that's how this one went.

3) Tim Locastro

I like Tim Locastro a lot. He's a hit-by-pitch magnet and obviously has tremendous speed. He even showed a little bit with the bat down the stretch when given an opportunity to play. With that being said, he's just not good enough to justify keeping around for over the league minimum when there are plenty of speedsters out there in search of any kind of contract.

Locastro began the year on the Mets Opening Day roster, forcing his way on after a hot Spring Training. He started just two of the 11 games he appeared in during the month of April but had some value off the bench as a pinch runner. He wound up going on the IL early on this season and missed four months with back and thumb injuries.

Locastro returned to the Mets in mid-August and saw fairly consistent playing time against lefties. Despite his chances, Locastro had just a .583 OPS in 48 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers. He was much better in more limited opportunities against righties.

The Locastro decision is quite simple. If the Mets want a speedster off the bench that will primarily be used as a runner, they can find one for cheaper than Locastro. If they want one that can do more than just run, Locastro is not that guy. There really isn't a reason he wouldn't be non-tendered.

4) Jeff Brigham

Jeff Brigham was the second piece of the offseason deal with the Marlins that also netted the Mets Elieser Hernandez. Brigham was supposed to add depth to the bullpen and was a guy the Mets envisioned shipping back and forth from AAA Syracuse to the majors considering the fact that he was able to be optioned.

Billy Eppler had a vision where the bullpen would remain fresh with the Mets sending relievers up and down but also productive enough to win ballgames. Why he opted to go with optionable relievers instead of just signing a proven one without options is beyond me, but it's part of why the bullpen struggled in the middle innings. Brigham was right in the middle of that.

The right-hander had a 5.26 ERA in 37 appearances and 37.2 innings of work. He got off to a decent start for the Mets but the more he was used, the more he struggled. He wound up making just five appearances in the second half as he was ineffective whenever he was called upon.

Brigham didn't show one bit that he was worthy of being part of the 2024 bullpen, so the Mets have no incentive to tender him a contract. If Brigham enjoyed his time with the Mets and they want him back as depth, a minor league contract would likely be on the table. There's no reason to give him more than that.

5) Sam Coonrod

It's easy to see why the Mets were interested in taking a flier on a guy like Sam Coonrod. He's got electric stuff and has had some success in the majors before, but his 2023 season was essentially a wash.

The right-hander was another example of a Met brought in for depth who missed most of the season due to injury. He'd finally make his Mets debut in August and pitched pretty well in most of his outings but displayed very real control issues and did not get the results he needed to factor into the 2024 bullpen picture.

Coonrod's 9.45 ERA in 10 appearances and 6.2 innings pitched is largely from one rough outing in which he allowed four runs while failing to record an out, but that wasn't the only outing where his command failed him. Coonrod issued eight free passes in his limited action which is of course, far too many. This has been a constant theme in his career.

Keeping Coonrod around had he had minor league options is one thing, but if the Mets choose to keep him he can't be sent down without being exposed to waivers. There're no incentives to holding on with that being the case. They can find other diamonds in the rough that throw hard and they hope can turn into something useful.

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