Most of the Mets’ roster has come into focus with Opening Day approaching, and the team continued to make its final roster cuts this weekend. MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo has the summary of the decisions, including the news that utilityman Zack Short and (somewhat provisionally) first baseman/outfielder D.J. Stewart will break camp with the team. Stewart’s status is a little up in the air since he is the proverbial 26th man on the 26-man roster, and the Mets might yet replace him if a player they like becomes available on the waiver wire or in free agency, as rival teams also make their late cuts.
Short was claimed off waivers from the Tigers last November, and has been much more known for his defensive versatility than his bat (.174/.266/.308 in 450 career plate appearances) over his three MLB seasons in Detroit. However, Short has looked really good at the plate this spring, while Stewart has struggled. Ironically, Stewart has almost the opposite profile, as he has been productive if inconsistent in hitting .220/.339/.425 with 37 homers in 807 career PA, but isn’t known as much of a defender. Stewart joined the Mets on a minor league deal last winter and hit a very solid .244/.333/.506 over 185 PA in his first season in Queens.
Short and Stewart got the nod ahead of a pair of minor league signings in Ji-Man Choi and Jose Iglesias. The two veterans have opt-outs in their minors contracts but Choi told DiComo that he will report to the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate rather than re-enter free agency. Iglesias also indicted that he will likely remain with the organization to await another possible opportunity later in the season.
One player who is somewhat unexpectedly heading to Triple-A is Mark Vientos, who was initially slated to be a part-time third baseman and DH heading into camp. However, New York then signed J.D. Martinez this past week, and while Martinez will begin his season in the minors to make up for his lost spring prep time, Martinez’s presence will monopolize the designated hitter role. As a result, Brett Baty and Short now could work as a third base platoon, since the Mets want Vientos to get steadier playing time in the minors.
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns also noted that the team wants to see Vientos get more work in at third base. Vientos’ defensive future has long been a question mark, as he is considered a subpar third baseman and playing at DH or first base with the Mets isn’t an option for at least 2024 due to the presence of Martinez and Pete Alonso. Becoming even a passable third baseman could greatly help Vientos stick in the majors and keep him from being pigeonholed as a first base/DH type at most. Vientos has hit just .205/.255/.354 with 10 home runs in 274 career PA in the big leagues, but the former second-round pick doesn’t have much left to prove in the minors after three seasons of crushing Triple-A pitching.
Assuming Stewart is indeed the last position player on the roster, the only remaining 26-man decisions facing the Mets are their last two bullpen spots. DiComo writes that Michael Tonkin is “a heavy favorite for one” spot, and Yohan Ramirez and Sean Reid-Foley are competing for the other job. All three pitchers are out of minor league options, DiComo notes that rival scouts have been watching Ramirez and Reid-Foley in anticipation of either pitcher potentially being available on the waiver wire. The loser of the competition might end up traded rather than designated for assignment, if enough interest exists from teams in need of bullpen depth.
I love seeing players get paid, but I really hope Alonso’s camp is not holding out for 200M. The track record of pure bopper 1B/DHs into their 30s has not been kind.
I can see him get close to that with vesting option years. Boras will ask for 8 years minimim of course.
Honestly, I can see it, but I think I am just pessimistic about that kind of profile. Maybe with some variables like if he can beat back the Ks to below 20% and keep neutral fielding at first, he can build up some heat. BABIP luck is sure to take care of the rest.
That, or get the Mets to bid against themselves because of how much franchise value he has. Their fans are free to correct me, but he seems like a hit (barrel?) there.
The concern is warranted. His BABIP should take a positive regression this season. The sell on Alonso is that he’s been healthy and had a late start to his career so minimum wear-and-tear. I think Lindor is the face the Mets can fall back on if he prices himself out. If their young players take steps forward, they should allocate payroll towards starting pitching and let him walk.
I agree, that seems like another factor that’s made this little saga interesting. I’m sure the Mets would have hoped to gain some serious leverage with their infield prospects blossoming. If they keep hitting brick walls (unfortunately), Pete’s team could make out like bandits.
He’s got hometown appeal but he gives no hometown discount. That pretty much sums it up on why he;s going to free agency.
You’re correct he’s a 22M-25M player asking for 30M+.
After this offseason I’d be surprised if Boros takes the same approach with Alonso – could be a repeat of Nimmo but for more $$$. I don’t believe Alonso is worth any more than $25M per and I’d stop at 5 years, max. Anything beyond that he can walk, however I’d be interested to see what’s on the table at the deadline which would make all the contract talk moot.
I think the argument for over 5 years would be that Freddie Freeman got 6 years going into his age 32 season while Pete is only going to be 30 in his first year of a contract. Maybe that does get him up around 200M if he also believes he deserves the AAV of Freeman or Olson. However, still a ton of risk for any team, so I am not hopeful that someone will bite if he doesn’t bounce back into that 130-140 OPS+ range this year.
David Ortiz, freeman & schwarber would disagree with you. Stay healthy, it’s not a highly physical position, and one can hit.
I think Rudy is talking about the typical aging curve for sluggers. Alonso could of course be one of those rarer exceptions.
I think the names you dropped just proved my point that a pure bopper profile may not get 200 mil. Freddie, who I personally think has a much more appealing skillset and better value outside hitting than Pete, only got 6/162. Schwarber, who basically turned into a meme at first and has since contributed to Bryce Harper drastically altering his own career path to make up for it, only got 79 over 4. And Ortiz had a smattering of deals that I don’t think ever went past four years, if I remember right. I would also point out Papi had some monster walk rates and wRC+ numbers over 150 and even 160 in those years when he was winning that 4-year deal.
I think the best bet at this point is to maybe latch onto the Olson deal, which would probably be nipping at 200 accounting for arb years, but even then, I am not sure, with the variables in Pete’s current situation.
You know how Boras operates and he’s probably looking for 300K – Alonso is not worth that IMO.
Thome, Ortiz, Bagwell, Thomas, Mcgriff just a few. He is only 29. Let’s stop acting like he’s 39. He most certainly will get 200 mill as over half the league will be lined up to pencil in his 40-50 home runs a year for the next 6-8 years.
PED era. Thank you.
Dugmet: Not Thome and Not McGriff. Sad that you infer indicting the innocent. Can’t vouch for your other three.
It was the steriod time, but not everyone was doing what McGuire, Canseco, nor even Sammy Sosa were doing.
Be careful about what you say, unless you really know.
And for Alonso, maybe 40-50 for 2-3 years, 30-40 for another 2 years, then 20-30 for 2 more.
Pete Alonso reminds me of a young Harmon Killebrew, who after age 30 had 2 seasons of HRs in the 40’s, but averaged 35 HRs per year age 30-35.
Kinda built like Pete too.
Killebrew? McCovey?
MCCovey hit left handed
That’s a great comparison. I totally see it. Killebrew might have been a little more versatile defensively I think early he played 3rd and the Outfield plus 1st base but he was a liability out there and would be a DH now a days were as Pete is a passable first baseman. Spot on man.
Look at the names you use as comps. Not to be rude, but this comment literally made me laugh.
Look at the names. Alonso ops isn’t much less than theirs. It’s your problem you are undervaluing one of the premier players of this generation.
He will not ‘certainly’ get 200M. He will be lucky to get 200M. I can see the Mets or another team going that high, but no more.
As another team being one of Yankees, Cubs, Red Sox, Dodgers, Giants, Phillies, Mariners, Diamondbacks, Blue Jays, Orioles, Rangers, Cardinals or a mystery team. Your right no more then one of those teams.
I’m not saying Pete is not a great hitter, or that he’s going to age poorly. I was discussing the viability of him getting 200M. I’m not even someone who likes trashing Boras. I want to see players make all they possibly can. Not losing sleep over owners’ money.
What I am saying, though, is that it’s hard to project getting 200M based on the factors we just talked about. Some of those players, while in a different era, are still just proof of what I mean. And no offense to Pete, but all of those guys flashed much higher highs. Thomas never had fWAR below 5 going into his age 30 season, as one example, while Pete hasn’t reached 5 yet. Or for guys like Thome and Bagwell, it goes back to what I said earlier about Freeman, where you’re talking about guys who have things like a stolen base element in their game, more defensive upside, and/or very, very elite plate discipline.
With all that said, I think there’s things that could break Mr. Polar Bear’s way for 200M, and I want to see it happen, for the record.
You’re right but none of them had the power Pete has. Pete has elite power in a category all by himself which puts him in different category for money and home-runs always pays.
He’s a monster, yes, and that’s why I noted 200M is possible if the market believes that Alonso should get a free agent version of the Olson deal. Alonso has a career 13 AB/HR, and Olson was at 15.5 between 2018 and getting paid before 2022. Both are about neutral in baserunning and fielding.
But again, just different situations. We will never know if other teams were as bullish as the Braves about Olson. And before his payday, again, there were reasons for hype beyond just the homers because he was also drawing a ton of walks and cutting down on Ks.
So I’m not saying the Polar Bear is bad, but he is a bopper. And boppers could be viewed like a Thome or an Ortiz, or they could get thrown in a bin with Edwin Encarnacion.
The Mets would be fools to pay Alonso serious money, particularly having more than $100m currently committed to post-prime age players in 2025 and having $75m a year committed to the decline phases of Lindor, Nimmo, and Diaz for the next five years, plus $20m in 2025 to Marte,
Mets Fans: WE HAVE TO GET YOUNGER! OOH, WHAT’S THAT SHINY 1bMAN GUARANTEED TO DECLINE?? GET HIM!!
If Bellinger opts out, I could see Cubs offer four years and $100 million. I could see the Mets slightly exceeding that. I really think that is the limit here. Small chance that the Cardinals could be interested.
I don’t that would be enough if Bellinger has a good enough season to opt-out. Nick Castellanos got that and is an inferior player.
Bellinger’s current contract is 3 yrs $80M. He ll be making $27.5M AAV the first 2 seasons. If he has a season worthy of opting out he’s easily topping $30M AAV. Who knows the length of the contract he ll be seeking or that any teams willing to offer for that matter.
@Tigers3232 Not necessarily. He might just be getting significantly more guaranteed money—it might even be for a lower AAV.
If you’re Bellinger and have a good but not great season and someone offers you 6/150m, you could very easily take it.
If I was him I’d take the 6/150M for the security. Just with o deferred $ and artfully front loaded so more $ working for him sooner and accruing value.
Do you feel that Nick Castellanos has a contract that is fair for both sides? Most feel he is overpaid. If you agree, using his contract as a comparison is not appropriate. Just because he got overpaid, doesn’t mean the Mets have to make the same mistake with Alonso.
I don’t believe Alonso is worth $200M, but he is far better than Castellanos. Castellanos has less WAR in 11 years than Alonso has accumulated over 8 seasons. And in those 6 extra years he has managed to hit 18 more HRs than Alonso. So if or if bot Castellanos is overpaid is irrelevant to Alonso
What I think is fair or not doesn’t matter as @Tigers3232 has noted. Whenever I’m spitballing predictions, I try my best to place my personal biases aside and I do have my fav teams and players. It doesn’t change the fact that the Castellanos has set a contract precedence. There is huge disparity on the these boards what fans think a player “deserves” and how teams evidentally value players. “This long-term contract won’t end well” is a common phrase thrown around here. I think teams are acutely aware of the risks. In the aggregrate, they’re worth it to them because owners keep signing them and will continue to do so.
@MLB Fanatic Castellanos has set a precdent for overpaid sluggers, if that’s what you mean.
Yeah of agents mention Castellanos I’d imagine those bargaining for the team quickly point out hos flaws and that he’s overpaid. He’s hit 30+ HRs once(was close a 2nd time with 29) and he just for the 3rd time had 100+ RBIs. He still racks up doubles consistently but he provides no value defensively.
Any chance the Mets pick up Carl Edwards Jr.?
God I hope not…
Why?
I must be hungry. I read that as Carl’s Jr.
With a “wealthy” owner, Mets have no reason to pay this guy. A first basemen with power is somewhat easy to replace.
Between Alonso’s and Boras minds (Pete thinks the world of himself), they’ll want 300K. Bye bye Pete.
I guess you think first basemen who average 40-45 HRs a year grow on trees. How many can you name?
Give him the 5-6 years and a higher AAV than Olson and Freeman and all parties should be happy.
I see 7/195M as the top number for Pete. That’s if he has a very good year.
Mediocre season incoming.
Mediocre suggests 81-81.
The Mets baseline is much more 77-85.
Vientos looks like another highly-hyped, overly flawed AAAA Mets player.
Your link for DJ Stewart is wrong… Ah’ that’s not the DJ Stewart making the Mets. That DJ Stweart and former Philly minor leaguer is playing for the Gateway Grizzlies in the Independence League..
I don’t see what the fuss is all about whether he’s worth $200m or not. I think he’ll get it and deserve it from the Mets for a number of reasons. He’s been and will hopefully continue to be a productive power hitter. Let’s not take for granted his ability to drive in runs. He’s protected Lindor who is very streaky with little to no protection behind him. I’m very interested in seeing how he does with JD batting behind him, might be a banner year. The last thing is the NY premium. Not only has he proven he can perform and handle the media pressure in NY, there is also the fact staying in NYC results in at least 11% of income tax not to mention NYC’s additional 3% tax if he lives in NYC. Simple math but a $178m contract in a no tax state has a take home equivalent of $200m.
He does remind me of a Thome who’s back was a problem later on in his career but only time will tell. The only thing I don’t like about the Polar Bear is how he can sometimes let slumps get the better of him mentally. I think he’s improved but that should continue to mature as he does.
Assuming that Alonso is healthy and productive this year, he will likely get offers of $200M for 8 years. If he’s wants much more, I could see a scenario where nobody bites and he is forced to do a short term with opt outs type deal.
No one except a lost team like the Angels or Rockies will offer TEH HOMERZZZ 8/200m.
For what? To put a few more 12 year olds in the seats for the guy who won one home run title back in 2019?
I agree, it wouldn’t be a good move, but at least one team will offer $200M. The best scenario for the Mets would be if he has a great first half and they trade him for a good prospect.
Wrt Alonso, at least we’ll know if the Mets are serious and whether it’s Stearns or Cohen who is actually in charge.
No serious GM adds a lumpen talent in decline like the 30 to 37 year old Alonso to the next 8 Mets teams.
“As a result, Brett Baty and Short now could work as a third base platoon,”
Oh, god. Sure, take PA from Baty and give them to Short before Short exits the Mets for good some time during 2024? Short, who has no chance of being on the next good Mets team?
You can’t be writing silliness like this, comrade, and be a regular writer on a baseball site. Teams never operate like this. They never try to squeeze a run every 200 PA from their 26th man by refusing to let their current best 3B prospect try to learn to hit short side pitching. Fwiw, Zack Short hits .187 against LHP. You didn’t have to know that, though, to know that teams don’t do this. Even the Rockies wouldn’t do this kind of thing.
Come on. Knock it off.