5 Mets players who don’t deserve to be on the 40-man roster

2) Taylor Saucedo is only on the NY Mets roster because he is a lefty

Buried a little deeper on the 40-man roster than Ruf is lefty reliever Taylor Saucedo. The key for him is that he throws left-handed. It’s a quality not too many Mets pitchers have. Other than Brooks Raley and David Peterson, the club doesn’t have any other candidates currently on the 40-man roster to work as a southpaw reliever.

Saucedo was a November waiver claim from the Toronto Blue Jays with minimal big league experience. He turns 30 this summer and hasn’t dazzled at the minor league level either. A promising campaign in Triple-A after converting to a reliever did eventually lead to a promotion in 2021. He continued to pitch well in the minors last season. At the big league level, however, he has been rocked for 17 earned runs in only 28.1 innings of work.

Saucedo was a safety addition for the Mets in case they couldn’t find any other lefties for the 40-man roster. An internal candidate like Josh Walker might be just as reliable. Saucedo definitely doesn’t have the numbers to deserve his presence on the 40-man roster. The rules of waiver claims are what has kept him there for now.

If he somehow remains with the organization and even pitches in the big leagues at some point this season, Saucedo would be a great steal. First, he’ll need to prove himself worthy.