3 NY Mets free agents whose stock is in the toilet

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When a player enters his walk year, that's often when we see him play at his best. The incentive to work even harder than you had the rest of your career is there in order to get a big contract in free agency. Look at the year someone like former New York Mets pitcher Marcus Stroman is having. This happens every year.

While it's certainly in players' best interest to perform in a walk year, that doesn't always happen. Remember how brutal Michael Conforto was right before his free agent year?

The Mets have been an absolute disaster as a team. They're 43-50, an unfathomable 18.5 games back of first place Atlanta, and 8.5 games back of the final Wild Card spot. These three upcoming free agents aren't to blame for the team's struggles, but they're certainly not helping themselves out with underwhelming seasons that have undoubtedly lowered their stocks.

1) NY Mets pitcher Carlos Carrasco is watching his free agent stock plummet

The Mets had a club option on Carlos Carrasco worth $14 million which they picked up. This felt like an obvious move at the time as Cookie had a decent year in 2022 and seemed like a safe bet to be a decent fifth starter. The expectations weren't high, but he has still not come close to meeting them.

Carrasco has a 5.16 ERA through 12 starts. He's struck out just 43 batters in 61 innings while walking 27. He's also allowed 12 home runs after allowing just 17 in 152 innings last season. His strikeout rate has gone from an above average 23.6% to a well below average 16.2% this season. His walk rate has jumped from 6.4% to 10.2%, and his home run rate has almost doubled from 2.6% to 4.5%.

Any way you slice it, this hasn't been a good year for the Mets veteran starter. He's continued to struggle in first innings putting his team in trouble early, and he's only recorded an out in the sixth inning three times in his 12 starts.

At 36 years old he'll find a one-year deal if he wants one, but he won't be making close to the amount he's making right now with the Mets.

2) NY Mets designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach is watching his free agent stock plummet

It's hard to gauge just how much interest there would be in a guy who doesn't play in the field, can only hit against right-handed pitching, can't run, and doesn't hit for a ton of power, but his value was certainly higher last season than it is right now.

Vogelbach has been public enemy number one in the eyes of the Mets fan base all season long. The hate is absolutely overblown, but it's impossible to not be very underwhelmed with how he's performed.

He's slashing .223/.330/.349 with five home runs and 26 RBI. Mets DH production has lacked once again, and he's obviously the main reason why. Barring a change of scenery at the deadline which leads to a hot streak, it's hard to see this guy getting interest from many teams on the open market.

He might make more than the $1.5 million he's making now, but it's impossible to see the Mets doing anything but non-tendering him if he isn't traded. If and when that happens, he's not landing a spot as a primary DH anywhere.

3) NY Mets outfielder Mark Canha is watching his free agent stock plummet

Plummet might be a bit harsh of a word, but Mark Canha has certainly lost a ton of value on the open market. His entire Mets career has been a strange one, as he went from a guy who hit as many as 26 home runs in 2019 to a player who hasn't hit for much power at all in a Met uniform.

He had a good year in 2022 but hit just 13 longballs and has hit six this season. He's still getting on base a ton as he had a .367 OBP last season and a respectable .340 OBP this season, but that's just about all he's done. He's nothing special as a defender, and he's not a speedster either.

Getting on base is an important skill to have, but Canha was a more complete hitter with power prior to getting his two-year deal with the Mets.

The biggest indictment on Canha's free agency case is he lost his starting job. That wasn't all his fault as Tommy Pham has played out of his mind for months and Canha has even played really well in a limited role since, but losing your starting job in your walk year isn't what you want to see happen.

The 34-year-old has a club option worth $11.5 million for the 2024 season. It's not out of the realm of possibility that the Mets exercise the option, but it's very likely they, or whatever team he's on after the trade deadline, let him test free agency. It pains me to say because he's one of the easiest players to root for, but his value has certainly taken a hit this season.

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