3 Mets roster leftovers David Stearns should get rid of next

Last call for Thanksgiving leftovers. By the time Monday arrives, the leftovers have lost their charm. The New York Mets don’t have nearly as much urgency with clearing their roster leftovers. David Stearns has already actively cleared a whole bunch of space. What about who’s left?

These three leftovers on the 40-man roster are the most necessary to toss before anyone accidentally takes a bite.

1) Sean Reid-Foley

There’s nothing wrong with having Sean Reid-Foley in the minor leagues. The trouble is he’s on the 40-man roster right now and doesn’t have any options remaining. His short stint with the Mets in 2023 included a dazzling 16 strikeouts in 7.2 innings of work but came along with 6 walks as well. The Mets are fascinated by him. Having already DFA’d and released him in the past, they brought him back and he made it to the big leagues late in the year.

We can safely assume SRF won’t be with the Mets on Opening Day barring an injury. He can hang around on the 40-man roster throughout the winter with the assumption that unless they have to, he’ll get cut right before the season begins.

In Thanksgiving terms, Reid-Foley is the cranberry sauce of leftovers. It’s nice to have yet you probably don’t need it after the big day itself. Only grandmothers are true fans of cranberry sauce. When you know there’s a pie of any kind waiting in the fridge, it’s tough to get too excited about a strange gelatin flavored after a fruit you don’t even normally eat.

2) Phil Bickford

Phil Bickford is in the same situation as Reid-Foley. He now lacks minor league options. Stearns can probably justify holding onto one of them if he must. Both are out of the question.

Bickford got tuned up early during his stint with the Mets in August before settling down in September. The overall statistics aren’t so good. In 25.1 innings of work, Bickford was 3-2 with a 4.62 ERA.

A strong conclusion and an actual history of pitching a little better than Reid-Foley in the majors in past seasons is what moves him a spot ahead in any debate between the two. Bickford’s 7.36 ERA in August put him on the DFA bubble, however, a 0.84 ERA in September/October should result in too quick of a hook. As unlikely as it is for Bickford to finally figure it all out with the Mets, he should be the preferred choice over a pitcher like Reid-Foley.

The Mets have plenty of other pitchers on the 40-man roster who could have made a list like this. The difference is the Mets can send any of them down to Syracuse. They’re a leftover capable of being frozen.

Not Bickford. He’s a leftover yam. Once those decide to start growing roots, you need to act quickly.