Mets roster: 1 player to demote or release, 1 to trade, 1 to bench

Today’s baseball it’s not always easy to make changes to your team. Usually, this is done through a demotion/release, a trade, or benching a player to start someone else. While some of these options can be easier or more desirable than the others, none are ever easy and usually not very popular with the fans. Changes can be hard to understand. They often work out for the best when looking at the big picture. Other times they can turn out to be a disaster and end up costing a manager or a GM his job. I'll play general manager of the New York Mets and make some decisions in terms of who to demote or release, who to trade, and who to bench.

1 NY Mets player to demote or release

You may want to send a player to the minors and bring another one up to the big club. However, this can only be done a certain number of times for each player. These moves are called options. Once a player is out of options, he must first pass through waivers and be offered to every other team in major league baseball before he can be demoted. If he’s claimed, he’s gone.

While many players can quickly become fan favorites, sending a player to the minors is part of running a team. Unfortunately for him, that player on the Mets today is Tim Locastro. He is a fast runner who can steal a base, play a great defensive outfield, and can’t hit his weight. While these other talents are nice to have in a reserve outfielder, a team scrounging for runs like the Mets cannot afford to carry a player like this. In Locastro's two previous MLB seasons he hit only .188 and .180.

But there is one problem in this transaction. Locastro is out of options so before he can be sent to the minors he has to be put on waivers, where he will most likely be claimed. This will basically turn his demotion into a release. They already have Tommy Phan available as a backup outfielder, making Tim Locastro a luxury that they just cannot afford. Ultimately, the Mets need to get more offense from every bat on the roster.

1 NY Mets player to trade

Trading a player is not much easier in today’s game. With all the money involved in today’s contracts, many teams cannot take on a new salary unless they can move out the proportional amount as part of the trade. This can make finding a trading partner very difficult. That’s why you’ll often see an extra player added to a trade in an effort to create some kind of monetary balance.

In looking for a player to trade who meets the criteria needed to facilitate a trade, that player would be Carlos Carrasco. As soon as Justin Verlander is ready to pitch again, I would keep Tylor Magill in the starting rotation and send Carrasco packing. A left handed starting pitcher making $14 million in the last year of his contract might be very desirable in a trade, so desirable that it may cause the Mets to want to hold on to him.

Carrasco had lost several mph off his fastball by the end of last season which could have been attributed to being tired from a long season. But so far this year he looks like he may have lost a few more. There is a chance that he may be moved from the trade to the benched category and sent to the bullpen. However, if Carrasco continues along this path, his trade value will never be more than it is right now.