Do the Mets still have room and the need to keep Luis Guillorme?

Luis Guillorme is one of those beloved backup players New York Mets fans have come to enjoy for the little things he does well. His best attribute has been his defense, but at times he has been a capable hitter to at least poke a single or draw a walk. A lifetime .261/.344/.333 hitter, he’s a bit of a throwback to the days when having an OBP higher than your slugging percentage was a bit more common.

The ceiling for Guillorme has already been reached. He's a solid infield utility guy you can use to enter the game late to better your odds against making an error. Aside from this, Guillorme isn't all that effective. After three straight solid seasons, Guillorme’s 2023 campaign saw a sharp decline when the team would have actually benefited from having him playing better.

Guillorme doesn’t steal bases. He doesn’t hit for power. His defense is more slick than anything else. The rise of Ronny Mauricio to the big leagues and some other factors could mean the end for Guillorme.

Does the Mets roster have room for Luis Guillorme?

Guillorme and Mauricio can coexist on one roster. It doesn't seem so necessary, though. Francisco Lindor is as much of an ironman as we could hope for. He logged 161 games in 2022 and another 160 in 2023. The need to carry a true backup shortstop on the roster is non-existent. More so, if Mauricio can grab a starting job at second base or third base, he’d be the default player the Mets could turn to in case of an injury, ejection, or abduction; let’s not rule anything out. Ask Bernard Gilkey.

Mauricio has a lot more to prove, however, Guillorme is now out of minor league options which will limit the Mets in carrying him at all. Having options on bench players allows the sort of flexibility the Mets took advantage of in 2023 when they demoted Guillorme and recalled Mark Vientos.

The decision to tender Guillorme a contract or not will come earlier in the offseason before the Mets can guarantee themselves upgrades. David Stearns has no connection to him. Buck Showalter is no longer around to stick up for him either. Guillorme can give the Mets a different bit of flair than someone like Vientos in a part-time role who’s all offense-oriented.

The Mets can find room for Guillorme on their roster, but they need to be careful about not throwing away too many other spots. Carrying a speedster like Tim Locastro is out of the question. Bringing back a part-time DH player like Daniel Vogelbach doesn’t make sense either.

Guillorme, as essentially the 26-man on the bench, remains a fit for the Mets. He may not have been very good in 2023. Neither were most of his teammates. 

The possibility of trading Guillorme is always there, too. We should expect Stearns and the new general manager to make some drastic and deep changes to the personnel. This includes a beloved utility man whose facial hair is just as popular as him.