Mets quietly trade versatile minor leaguer with an OBP of almost .400 to the Twins

New York Mets minor league free agent additions are dropping like flies—or at least leaving the organization. Trayce Thompson opted out of his deal with the team on the Fourth of July. On a different kind of holiday, the day of the MLB All-Star Game, the Mets traded Rylan Bannon to the Minnesota Twins.

Bannon was one of many free agents with MLB experience the Mets brought into the fray in the offseason. A versatile defender who saw himself playing second base, third base, shortstop, and both corner outfield spots seemed to make perfect sense as depth. Add in the .254/.392/.475 he slashed for the Syracuse Mets with 15 home runs and 57 RBI, one could argue he was worth a closer look at the big league level over a struggling player like DJ Stewart.

Alas, we’ll never get to see him get his chance in the majors. A trade which appears to be for cash, MLB Trade Rumors’ Steve Adams speculates the deal might’ve had something to do with an opt out in Bannon’s contract. It’s a good assumption that Bannon could have left the organization if he wasn’t in the majors by the midway point of the season.

Will we see the Mets unleash any of their minor league depth again?

The Mets had some big home runs when it came to minor league free agent signings. Look no further than Jose Iglesias for the prime example. He has practically taken over the second base job from Jeff McNeil. Outfielder Ben Gamel is also with the team at the moment. He hasn’t played much at all even in the absence of Starling Marte.

A couple of the players the Mets may still uncage from the minors include prospects Luisangel Acuna and Luke Ritter. Acuna is already on the 40-man roster and holding him back too long doesn’t make much sense when the speed he could provide is an asset. Ritter is a power hitting righty who can play several positions but not all that well.

Among the veterans, there’s still Mike Brosseau and Pablo Reyes worthy of an opportunity if the need arises. Brosseau has smacked 10 home runs in 231 plate appearances while batting over .300 for Syracuse. Reyes has somehow clobbered 7 dingers in 138 trips to the plate. His .508 OPS is a major surprise. He’s at .424 in the minor leagues for his career.

As intriguing as some of these options are, none fully match what the Mets could use off the bench in place of a guy like Stewart. Players like Brosseau and Reyes have struggled in the majors. So has Bannon. We know well enough an OBP of almost .400 won’t translate directly to the major leagues. Bannon was a nice pickup for the Mets. They just didn’t have a great enough need to call him up.