Mets will bring Brett Baty and 2 others to London for insurance and a 27th roster spot

New York Mets fans spent a part of Wednesday morning trying to figure out who’d be the 27th man on the roster in London. The club answered quickly by announcing they will bring three players with them across the Atlantic. Brett Baty and Cole Sulser could temporarily make their Mets return. Catcher Joe Hudson is a potential option to make his debut.

Hudson was a cash for player acquisition by the Mets back in April from the Chicago Cubs. A .200/.342/.400 slash line in 74 Triple-A at-bats this year, it’s an uninspired yet necessary transaction to make.

Having a third catcher available in London is necessary. Don’t read too much into it, though. Hudson will immediately go back to the minors upon the return to the U.S. Then comes the big decision for the Mets between Tomas Nido and Luis Torrens. Which one is designated for assignment when Francisco Alvarez returns?

Why the Mets passed on some of the more exciting options

The name Luisangel Acuna is frequently typed, spoken, and screamed about by Mets fans. Already present on the 40-man roster, it wouldn’t have been an atrocious decision to call him up. In fact, the Mets almost have to debut him at some point this year. His minor league options are drying up fast.

Other options could’ve included recently added utility man Pablo Reyes, offseason free agent Rylan Bannon, or even Mets prospect Luke Ritter. In-season free agent addition Mike Brosseau is another choice they could’ve rolled with. Only he and Ritter have options along with Acuna. It would have been fun to see one of these other players—especially Ritter—get their chance to actually play for the Mets in some capacity. Alas, they went simply.

Consider Baty, Sulser, and Hudson a part of the hackney carriage squad. Over in England, that’s what they call taxis. They store them in the “gar-igg” and not a “ga-raj” like we do over here in the States.

The choice of Baty, just around a week after his demotion, might be a kind of reward for the young third baseman who fully expected to be with the team in England this weekend. Imagine packing up your suitcase, getting your passport ready, and buying a knock-off Blur shirt from Temu only to find out you wouldn’t make the trip. Either he or Hudson will be the 27th man for the Mets. As frustrating of a player as Baty has been, the average exit velocity of 85.4 miles per hour off his bat looks much better in England at 137.4 kilometers per hour. No complaints seeing him join the club in London. Meanwhile, the Syracuse Mets spend the weekend in St. Paul, Minnesota.