3 Mets players who've moved down the depth chart in December

3) DJ Stewart

DJ Stewart was already fighting a battle to be on the MLB roster to open the 2024 season. The addition of Taylor likely means Stewart will join Megill and Lucchesi on a flight to Syracuse.

The Mets currently have room for Stewart, however, one addition to the bench or starting lineup changes this. Will they really proceed with a bench containing Taylor and Stewart? Unless the Mets choose to make one of them a starter, which we should hope they don't, the team will probably need to stash Stewart on the farm.

Just like Houser, Taylor's minor league options have been depleted. A much different style of player than Stewart, if all things were equal we could still assume Taylor would take precedence. He's a new acquisition. He also is a superior defensive player. This fits well on a team's bench where the defense of the starting outfielders is questionable.

Stewart’s impressive August followed by a meek September didn’t fool anyone. We’ll be rooting for him to turn into a guy the Mets can rely on for years. Our heads tell us it’s probably not something you want to put a wager on.