Former Mets player joins his third team this year, this time to replace injured MVP candidate

Life has a funny way of working out. Way back early in the 2024 season, the New York Mets were about to welcome back longtime beloved infielder Luis Guillorme. For sure, someone put together a welcome back package to play upon his first game at Citi Field in another team’s uniform.

Guillorme was non-tendered by the Mets in the offseason before signing with the rival Atlanta Braves. However, Guillorme struggled with Atlanta. Barely used with only 21 plate appearances and 9 games through the early part of May, he was traded to the Los Angeles Angels with a .150/.190/.250 slash line.

Mets fans got to finally see him in early August when the Mets visited the Angels. Guillorme was DFA’d by the down-and-out Halos and is now headed to the Arizona Diamondbacks who the Mets will conveniently play on their upcoming road trip. In the absence of MVP candidate Ketel Marte, the Diamondbacks signed Guillorme to help get through the absence of their star infielder.

The Mets tribute to Luis Guillorme continues to gather dust

Guillorme wasn’t a disaster for the Angels. He batted .231/.302/.298 in his 117 plate appearances. Admittedly much less than what he offered the Mets in parts of six seasons, seeing him land on a team that matters, will play the Mets soon, and is vying for one of the playoff spots his ex-ball club is searching for won’t have too many of us wishing him a whole lot of luck beyond personal achievements.

The signing comes with the added fact that he’ll replace one of the few players in the National League with a legitimate better case to win the MVP than a player Guillorme played alongside often since 2021, Francisco Lindor. Marte is right there alongside Lindor, Shohei Ohtani, and Marcell Ozuna with the offensive output. For those reluctant to vote for a DH to be the MVP, the lost time for Marte could have major implications.

Connecting everything once more, the injury came when Philadelphia Phillies catcher Garrett Stubbs slid into Marte earlier this month. Marte tried to play through it, but with the Diamondbacks increasing their lead in the Wild Card battle, the more sensible approach was certainly to rest up for the playoffs.

The Diamondbacks have Marte, Christian Walker, and Gabriel Moreno all on the IL. They’ve survived thanks in part to an aggressive trade deadline. How they handle the absence of their best hitter will be the real test. Guillorme should give them steady defense. Beyond that, we just hope he doesn’t do any damage against the Mets. If so, it'll look something like this.