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Trading Pete Alonso and 3 other future Mets roster moves to shoot down
Shooting down future Mets roster moves before they happen.
We all love to have our opinions on what the New York Mets should do. What about what they shouldn't? There are plenty of roster moves to make between now and the start of next season. Some are worth shooting down already, including one very obvious one.
Which of these would you most like to karate chop in half?
1) NY Mets trading Pete Alonso is garbage
Trade Pete Alonso? Are you trying to destroy a franchise? The idea of trading Alonso seemed impossible until this year's deadline when reports of Alonso being discussed made their way into the hands of MLB insiders. Fake news about Alonso being toxic in the clubhouse brought it to a whole new level. Fortunately, the players seem to have his back and the most recent rumors are he’ll stay put.
The Mets were unafraid to subtract in drastic ways. However, the pieces they did move on from this summer were short term and not homegrown. Alonso is a guy who performs on the field, off it, and in the gift shop. He is Mets baseball.
We can all come up with tempting enough trade packages that could get the Mets to budge. On field performance is only one part of the story. When it comes to the franchise's image and direction, it's much more difficult to argue in favor of an Alonso deal.
The roster decision to not only keep Alonso but to extend him as well is easy. These other three are more debatable. Prepare to put on your boxing gloves.
2) NY Mets shouldn't have Mike Vasil in the 2024 Opening Day rotation
Mike Vasil is probably the next Mets pitching prospect who'll be in the big leagues. As exciting as he and others may be, planning to have him on the Opening Day roster in the rotation is suspect. He won't get enough starts in Triple-A this year. Rushing him into the rotation can backfire quickly and lead to a demotion. The Mets shouldn't even consider having him on the 2024 Opening Day roster outside of having him replace an injured player.
The rotation is once again an area of need for the Mets. They have enough internal options for next year, but those choices include Joey Lucchesi, Tylor Megill, and David Peterson. We can excuse one of them winning a fifth starter spot next year. Going to battle with more won't turn out well. It’s punting on first down.
Vasil has no MLB experience and pushing him too quickly goes against how this ball club has operated. We should look at him as a guy who could see some early season starts due to injury or a lack of performance from someone else. Otherwise, Vasil needs to earn his promotion. A bumpy start to his Triple-A career has turned far more promising. He should see significant action next year. It just doesn’t have to be in the first week of the season. Already understanding he’ll be on some sort of an innings limit, save the bullet for later in the year in case you do make a run.
3) NY Mets targeting any DH exclusive player is chasing their own tail
Adding another DH exclusive player like Daniel Vogelbach to the roster would be the most infuriating move of all the Mets could make. With as many young and promising hitters as they have, the opportunity to give them extra at-bats without having to worry about their defense is something to take advantage of. Whether it's Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, or Francisco Alvarez with the team carrying a third catcher, most of us are on board with allowing these youngsters to play as much as possible.
Even more will agree with the unnecessary inclusion on the roster of a one-dimensional hitter. Vogelbach has become the example. Others around the league, J.D. Martinez being the most prominent and productive still in the big leagues, should be passed over. Shohei Ohtani will become a DH with his UCL tear. Do the Mets try to cash in on a slightly lower offer unsure of what kind of future he could have on the mound? Go ahead. It doesn’t seem like the direction they’re headed. As always, Ohtani is the exception to the rules.
The Mets should avoid thinking about the DH as a need to actually fill. Show up to the ballpark and think “Oh, wow! We can pull another bat off the bench and give him a couple of at-bats?”
4) NY Mets should avoid signing Julio Urias
Julio Urias is an exciting free agent option for the Mets to pursue. Notably, it's his age that will have general managers optimistic about what he can offer. He turned 27 in August and will embark into the free agent pool with a whole lot ahead of him.
Urias took a while to become the stud he is today. Unbelievably, he has pitched in the big leagues in some fashion each year since 2016. Working as a starter and reliever, he didn’t cross into significant innings until the 2021 season when he led the league with 20 wins. Urias would go on to follow it up with a league-best 2.16 ERA in 2022. This year hasn’t gone nearly as well, leaving some extra doubts about what lies ahead.
More than the downtick in his 2023 performance, the Mets need to be cautious about Urias because of his injury history. He’s going to command a lengthy deal. Do they really want to make him the rotation headliner?
Urias should also receive a qualifying offer which means signing him would forfeit the Mets’ second-highest pick in the draft. They’ve been avoidant of free agents with the QO attached in the past. Do they make an exception for Urias?
One final aspect which could have the Mets looking elsewhere is his past. Urias was arrested in 2019 for domestic battery. He has since undergone counseling. The Mets haven’t pursued players with a past like this during the Steve Cohen regime and have made examples of others, Khalil Lee being DFA’d this year as a prime one. Anywhere Urias goes will certainly draw criticism because of this. Will it be the Mets who sign off?
Urias may be a talented pitcher with age on his side, however, the red flags from every direction should have them looking elsewhere.
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