How these 4 former 2024 NY Mets are doing since the team got rid of them

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David Stearns has shuffled his deck of cards a lot since he took over baseball operations for the New York Mets. That trend has continued into the regular season, as he is looking for a makeshift solution for some of the most serious problems with the roster. It happens that two of the bigger issues plaguing the construction of the 2024 team were still problems during the first two months of the season.

Lack of depth in the infield and bullpen were two areas the Mets have whiffed on to a degree this offseason. The versatility of skill they believed they would get from the two backup infielders who made the Opening Day did not pan out and are no longer with the team. The bullpen has been a big mess in the past six weeks, but there were also deficiencies in the Mets bullpen that needed to be addressed as well.

With that in mind, let's take a look at how some of the 2024 Mets are doing away from the Mets.

1) Michael Tonkin

Michael Tonkin had two brief rodeos with the Mets earlier this season. He gave up four earned runs (and six unearned) in seven innings over five appearances with the team and was designated for assignment after each stint, with one appearance with the Minnesota Twins in between.

Tonkin was then claimed off waivers by the New York Yankees, and he instantly showed the potential he had all along. It stings even further as he floundered with the Mets and turned into gold for the Yankees.

Tonkin has been exceptional with the Yankees, where less pressure was put on him to perform with their bullpen loaded with talent. And he suddenly gained a lot of confidence. He has a sparkling 0.89 ERA in 20.1 innings pitched and is suddenly an asset for the Yankees as someone who can pitch more than one inning in relief. His opposition is only hitting .162 against him since the Yankees picked him up.

Tonkin picked up his second major league save (his first as a Yankee) on Monday in Kansas City, showcasing his versatility as a reliever in higher leverage situations.

2) Yohan Ramirez

Just like Tonkin, Yohan Ramirez had two separate stints with the Mets this season, with the first being more chaotic than the other. He infamously threw at Brewers slugger Rhys Hoskins earlier in the season and was suspended for 3 games. He had two more bad outings and was designated for assignment on April 8.

On April 11, the Mets traded Ramirez to the Baltimore Orioles. He had a 6.00 ERA in five appearances and six innings with the Orioles. Baltimore then designated him for assignment on May 2 and the Mets snagged him back off the waiver wire on May 6.

Back with the Mets, he pitched two scoreless outings before being traded to the Dodgers on May 20 for cash after another DFA. This time it was of the unfortunate circumstance of the Mets needing reinforcements for an overtaxed bullpen.

Ramirez has been productive so far with the Dodgers, pitching to a 3.00 ERA over 10 appearances, highlighted by a save last week against the Yankees in an extra inning game. In eight of those outings, he gave up no earned runs and pitched at least one inning. He might play a bigger role for a team that has one of the best bullpens in baseball so far this season.

3) Zack Short

Zack Short similarly had a short stint with the Mets to start the season. In 10 games, he had just one hit in nine at-bats with the Mets. He was designated for assignment on April 27 to make room for J.D. Martinez on the roster.

Since then, he's appeared in games with the Boston Red Sox and the Atlanta Braves.

On May 2, the Mets traded Short to Boston for cash. With Boston, he played just two games, going 0-for-7 at the plate, so he was designated for assignment on May 8.

The next day, the Red Sox shipped him to Atlanta for cash, and this time, Short has remained on the active roster since as a bench player. Short has a .518 OPS in 48 plate appearances over 16 games with the Braves, but he hasn't played in more than a week.

4) Joey Wendle

Joey Wendle was seen as a clever fit by the front office. Hence, that's why he was one of David Stearns' first additions this offseason. Unfortunately, he did not pan out for the Mets. Wendle hit just .222 with a .493 OPS with the Mets in 18 games. He also underwhelmed with his defense, with some of his defensive mistakes being the difference between the Mets losing and winning games. He was designated for assignment on May 15.

After the Mets released him on May 20, the Atlanta Braves took a chance to turn another ex-Met into gold four days later when they signed him. However, Wendle never appeared for a game for the team, as he was designated for assignment by Atlanta on May 27 and eventually became a free agent on May 30.

Wendle remains a free agent as of this writing.

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