3 players the Mets must DFA or non-tender this offseason

One of the first offseason decisions New York Mets General Manager Billy Eppler will have after the World Series is over and the postseason goes into full force is who he’ll get rid of. There are certain players who fall into the category of DFA or non-tender status.

Those following into the DFA categories are those who are under contract for next year without the benefit of arbitration-eligibility. The ones who could be non-tendered are out of minor league options and/or arbitration eligible.

While there are some other candidates on the Mets roster who could suffer the same fate, it’s these three the team absolutely needs to take a hard and definitive stance on moving away from.

1) NY Mets need to DFA Darin Ruf

Darin Ruf will give Mets fans nightmares for years. We didn’t even get a single home run from him. His performance was the worst possible scenario and only helped to make Daniel Vogelbach’s time with the club even more questionable.

Ruf is actually under contract for the 2023 at a $3 million rate. There’s also an option for 2024 worth $3.5 million. We won’t get that far. The Mets need to do the right thing and move on from him as swiftly as possible.

Although the Mets did give up quite a bit to land Ruf, there is no good argument in favor of continuing with a platoon of Ruf and Vogelbach at the DH spot. It just didn’t work out. The Mets could open up the possibility of pairing Vogelbach with Mark Vientos or even Francisco Alvarez. It might even be acceptable to expect the right-handed part of the platoon to be more of a revolving door. Give Pete Alonso, Mark Canha, Starling Marte, and others a chance to rest their legs a little more on days they face a lefty.

In no sane world should Ruf remain with the Mets through the offseason. Designating him for assignment is a task Eppler needs to take care of quickly.

2) NY Mets need to non-tender Joely Rodriguez

Joely Rodriguez came around to give the Mets an okay performance in 2022. Under different circumstances, I could see an argument in favor of keeping him having some strength to it. Those circumstances will not change.

Rodriguez is already in his 30s and unproven as a big league reliever. He’s the kind of guy you don’t mind having as your third lefty out of the bullpen. The ability to shuttle him up and down from the minors could make him good enough to stick around.

However, because Rodriguez is out of minor league options, this isn’t available. If the Mets don’t non-tender this arbitration-eligible player, they need to stick with him until they eventually decide to DFA him.

Among the reasons as to why Rodriguez lasted the whole 2022 season is that the Mets acquired him in a trade with the New York Yankees. Miguel Castro, the reliever they sent to the Bronx for Rodriguez, is a free agent this winter as well. Do the Mets try to keep Rodriguez for the sake of winning the trade? That wouldn’t be so wise.

Call it a draw or call it a loss. There isn’t a more obvious non-tender candidate on the roster right now. Let’s get two legitimate lefties in this bullpen for 2023.