A pair of Mets 40-man roster spots could soon open, who snags them?

Feb 25, 2023; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; New York Mets pitcher Denyi Reyes throws a pitch during
Feb 25, 2023; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; New York Mets pitcher Denyi Reyes throws a pitch during / Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
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The New York Mets could be opening two 40-man roster spots in the coming days. Rule 5 Draft pick Zach Greene was designated for assignment Sunday night to clear one of them. The other, belonging to Jose Quintana, could become available if he lands on the 60-day IL. Reports of him potentially getting shut down for three months, even if this isn’t the expected length of absence, may place him on the 60-day IL. This opens up a spot for the Mets, too.

There is a bit of science when it comes to selecting players for the 40-man roster. You don’t want to unnecessarily add someone too early. This eliminates catcher Michael Perez who won’t need to be there until the Mets are ready to promote him. The same goes for outfielder Tim Locastro who we should believe isn’t getting promoted until the latter part of the year when the Mets will need him for a playoff run.

Where does this leave the team? Let’s take a look at some of the candidates.

1) Why the NY Mets could add Lorenzo Cedrola to the 40-man roster

The Mets don’t have any outfielders on their 40-man roster who won’t make the Opening Day roster. Ever since they DFA’d Khalil Lee, this has been the situation for the team. Lorenzo Cedrola, a guy we’ve seen a ton this spring, could be one of the guys they add.

Cedrola has yet to reach the majors and would profile in a similar way as Locastro. We shouldn’t expect any incredible burst of offense out of him. He’s more of a defensive option for the team and maybe an occasional pinch-runner.

Because he has all of his minor league options left, I’d put him ahead of even a guy like Abraham Almonte. Almonte would be more useful on the 40-man roster when the team actually needs him in the big leagues. 

The Mets could, of course, always keep the roster spot open and pluck from another organization’s waiver wire. Many have a Zach Greene on their roster also losing his spot.

2) Why the NY Mets could add DJ Stewart to the 40-man roster

DJ Stewart is another outfielder for the Mets to consider adding to their 40-man roster. He has hit well this spring and is more of a bat-first type of player the club brought in this offseason. A remaining minor league option the team would be sure to use this season if he did get promoted, Stewart is someone the Mets would want to consider if they wanted some offensive firepower.

Needless to say, the firepower he’d add to the lineup wouldn’t be extensive. There is a reason why he was a minor league free agent. The 29-year-old corner outfielder is a good bat to have in Triple-A. In the majors, the lefty-swinger is this year’s Daniel Palka. We may never see him. We may end up needing him a lot depending on the health of guys like Mark Canha, Starling Marte, and even Daniel Vogelbach.

3) Why the NY Mets could add Josh Walker to the 40-man roster

Josh Walker has already been reassigned to minor league camp, but an opening could always make him a candidate to get added to the 40-man roster. Walker is a left-handed reliever option for the Mets this season. The former starter has struggled too much in that role for the team to have any more patience. Instead, the team should start looking at him as a bullpen option this year.

Walker may need to prove himself in actual games during the regular season before getting added to the 40-man roster. He’s pretty far from actually making it to the majors. Other pitchers could take precedence.

4) Why the NY Mets could add Denyi Reyes to the 40-man roster

Denyi Reyes is probably more likely to pitch in relief, maybe even as a long-man, for the Mets than actually start a game. However, most of his innings on the farm should be working as a starter. He’s starting pitcher depth for the team to carry into the season. With Jose Butto seemingly ahead of him on the depth chart, shifting him to the 40-man roster over someone the team would use more immediately might not be the most logical decision.

Reyes is nowhere near close to cracking big league innings in New York. As far as the 40-man roster goes, he could be closer than a few others.

5) Why the NY Mets could add William Woods to the 40-man roster

The Mets have shown a lot of faith in William Woods. Through 5.2 spring innings, Woods has given up only one earned run. It is a positive turn for this younger arm the team claimed off waivers from the Atlanta Braves this offseason. He was once a member of the 40-man roster before a crunch caused him to become the guy the team designated for assignment.

Constant use of Woods this spring could indicate an interest in moving him back to the 40-man roster with spots clearing out. Woods is definitely someone we could see grab a handful of innings this year. Having him available on the 40-man roster early on is the first step to making it happen.

6) Why the NY Mets could add Tommy Hunter to the 40-man roster

The inevitable successful stretch from Tommy Hunter is bound to happen sometime in 2023. He was good for the team in 2021 and again in 2022 in the limited number of frames he pitched. Hunter rejoined the club on a minor league deal this offseason. The lack of 40-man roster spot is something the team should only seriously contemplate if he’s going to make the Opening Day roster. He’s a candidate to so, possibly stealing the spot away from Stephen Nogosek. It does seem the Mets are in an either/or situation with both given the fact that neither has minor league options.

Adding Hunter to the 40-man roster now only harms the Mets in the way that someone else would need to be DFA’d in order to clear a spot for someone else in the future. Hunter should either be on the Opening Day roster and expected to make it through the year or viewed as a mid-season replacement. The latter seems preferred.

7) Why the NY Mets could add Jimmy Yacabonis to the 40-man roster

Another one of those guys we’ve seen quite a bunch this spring, Jimmy Yacabonis has pitched 5 shutout innings. He has a lifetime 6.03 ERA in 118 big league innings, most recently going 1-1 with an 8.36 ERA last year with the Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays.

Yacabonis has not pitched well when given the chance to face the best in North America. His lack of minor league options puts him in a similar spot as Hunter. However, given the performance and expectations being much lower, it feels like less of a loss if he does end up DFA’d quickly.

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