The Mets announced that they have selected the contract of outfielder José Azócar. Fellow outfielder Jose Siri has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a left tibia fracture. The club also optioned right-hander Justin Hagenman and recalled right-hander Max Kranick. The 40-man roster already had a couple of vacancies, so no corresponding move was required in that department.
It was reported late on Monday that Siri had a fracture and would be placed on the injured list but the Mets delayed the move until today. That was seemingly a conscious decision the club made in order to take advantage of a roster technicality. A pitcher optioned to the minors cannot be recalled for 15 days, unless they are replacing an injured player.
Yesterday, the Mets recalled Hagenman to work a spot start of sorts, optioning Kranick out to make room for him on the roster. The scheduled starter was Griffin Canning but he had come down with an illness and was pushed by a few days. Hagenman didn’t technically start, as Huascar Brazobán served as an opener, but Hagenman did eat 3 1/3 innings after that. By delaying Siri’s IL placement until today, the Mets were able to bring Kranick back just one day after optioning him, as he is technically taking the place of an injured player.
While that sequence of events helped them out on the pitching side, the position player group has been short-handed, with Siri taking up a bench spot while unable to play. Now they can finally get back to full strength with today’s moves.
Azócar, 29 in May, was claimed off waivers from the Padres in September and mostly kept on optional assignment. But he exhausted his final option year in 2024 and was therefore out of options going into 2025. He didn’t make the club’s Opening Day roster and was designated for assignment on Opening Day, but he passed through waivers unclaimed and stuck around as non-roster depth until today.
Broadly speaking, he’s been a speed-and-defense outfielder thus far. He stepped to the plate 397 times with the Padres over the 2022-24 seasons but hit .243/.287/.322 for a 74 wRC+. However, has stole 18 bases, though also got caught 9 times. In 1,011 outfield innings, he’s been credited with two Defensive Runs Saved and eight Outs Above Average.
The Mets have Juan Soto and Brandon Nimmo in the outfield corners but center field has been a weak spot thus far. Siri hit .050/.208/.100 before fouling a ball off his leg and suffering his aforementioned fracture. Tyrone Taylor, who has been splitting the spot with Siri, has a .163/.200/.209 line on the year.
As mentioned, Azócar hasn’t hit much in his major league career, but the minor league numbers have generally been better. He has a .283/.333/.434 line and 93 wRC+ dating back to the start of 2021. That includes a .244/.367/.366 showing and 109 wRC+ so far this year. He could try to push Taylor for some playing time or just serve as a solid bench guy who can do some pinch-running and/or defensive replacement work. As mentioned, he is out of options, so he would have to be pushed off the 40-man if the Mets want him off the active roster when Siri gets back.
Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images
The obvious move I.M.H.O
What your dishonest opinion , mate?
H = Humble
Carrying 6 outfielders with one backup infielder is always the obvious move.
You’re right, the roster construction is an issue. But referring to Winker and Marte as outfielders is like referring to Kyle Schwarber as a catcher. They’re just not capable of playing there.
So the issue is not 6 outfielders. Its having not one, but two DH-only players.
I agree with you but either one of them can and will play a corner OF spot as needed. Can’t say the same for the infield if multiple people go down as we saw with the Twins the other day.
Drew Gilbert just joined Syracuse today after his rehab assignment in Port St. Lucie. Let’s see if he can hit his way out of AAA over the next 6-8 weeks. If so, it might be his time. In the meantime, the Mets have plenty of outfielders.
Optimistic on multiple levels. The number of prospects who hit their way out of AAA in 400 ABs or less is quite small. And many of the ones that do flop in their first two or three call-ups and have to be sent down. Gilbert’s CF defense is actually not rated very highly.
The problem is that those OFers aren’t close to average where the context is 4th OFers on a contender.
If the Mets best current option is Azocar, whose defense the last two years has been a hair above average by FR and OAA, this is the wrong kind of “plenty of outfielders.”
Even if you do Azo the favor of including 2023, his OPS+ the last two years is 63, and an even more miserable, fully deserved 47 in 2024. If you’re going to sacrifice that much at the plate you want a top-notch defensive OFer, which he hasn’t been since 2022.
I’m guessing this is a short term move until McNeil is ready.
Then Acuna can get some reps in CF.
Acuna isn’t going to play center. McNeil will play there before Acuna. Acuna’s infield defense is way to valuable.
A big Yawn with this move; would have liked to see a young prospect get called up and not some has been that never was.
What prospect at AAA is ready to be called up?
There are barely even any (position playing) prospects on that roster, let alone ready for call-up. Gilbert is it, and he just got back to AAA today.
Prospects don’t need to be at AAA to be called up.
True, they don’t. but the jump from AA is much bigger and the ones who can make it are so few and far between that it doesn’t really warrant a mention.
BTW: not many at AA right now, either, and none of them is even close to warranting discussion at this particular juncture.
Carson Benge played high level college baseball and has hit in his limited professional career. He might be the one that can jump some levels of minor league ball.
Teams are hesitant to start prospect clocks if it’s only a temporary solution
Yeah get the clock thing but think it is overblown in general, should be top prospects only.
@ Canosucks… Its not just a clock thing. Its also an options thing. Teams don’t want to spend an option earlier than needed unless they have very high confidence that this prospect will stick in the majors before his 3 options are used up. Vientos: out of options, barely made it (and is struggling again). Baty: this year will be his last option and he doesn’t look anywhere close. Acuna: last option this year. Major leaguer by next season? Maybe. He, at least, has some skills that make him useful/tolerable off the bench.
Mauricio: last option this year: major leaguer by next year? Uncertain.
It is not Acuña and Mauricio’s last option years. Mauricio didn’t lose an option year being on the IL last year.
Yes it is their last option year:
Acuna’s first option was used by Texas in 2023. And his second one last year. Two options spent, last one is this year.
While Mauricio did not lose one last year, he was optioned in both 2022 and 2023. Hence, this year will be his last option, as well.
I apologize. You are correct on both players being on their last option years. Both players had to have their clocks started earlier being international signings and signing at a younger age and avoiding becoming minor league free agents after year 5.
You didn’t lob any insults, so an apology not needed.
But we do still have some facts to clear up…
Free agency is after 7 years, not 5. But options have nothing to do with free agency, they are about the Rule 5 draft.
Players signed before turning 19 become eligible for that draft after 5 years in the minors. Players over 19 become eligible after 4 years.
Teams can protect players from that draft by adding the player to the 40-man roster. It is after this point that the team needs to option a player in order to send him to the minors. Players on the 40-man roster are treated as major leaguers, and therefore not eligible for minor league free agency, even after seven years in the minors. If they are removed from the 40-man after seven years in the minors, they become eligible again at the end of that season (unless they are added back onto the 40-man).
I hear you guys but who says it has to be an outfielder?
Nimmo and Acunna can play CF.
Thanks, on the information with the options, good points and you are right.; still think some marginal minor leaguer even in AA can get a try. or some career minor leaguer who you don’t care about losing an option may catch lightning in a bottle.
Just hate to see a move where there is no return on your investment.
No power, no excitement
Mets *should* have Pete Crow Armstrong in CF.
Thank you. I mentioned this yesterday. Shocking to me that Mets fans, who generally like to complain about these types of things, have ignored this one for 4 years.
Some self-inflicted wounds are so obvious and painful (the 2021 FO with its rotating cast of putzes was almost the last in MLB to understand you don’t trade one of your best prospects for two months of anyone short of a star pitcher who can help you in the [presumed] postseason), they’re like pointing out Brett Baty once again forgot how to hit as soon as he was promoted and the games were real.
Not to mention the trade even nominally succeeded, with Baez putting up 1.7 bWAR in 1/3 of a season, but it was still a blatant misstep, a clear absurdity on a team with a very drab Pyth record at the time and even then was playing over its head.
Some things you just want to forget.
Even Mets fans.
I would move Nimmo to center for the short term and platoon Marte/ Winker in a corner OF spot until the offense shows some consistency.
It’s early enough in the year that long term solutions on OF defense can fall into place. For now, the focus should be on putting the ball in play and getting the bigs into RBI mode.
If you’ve been watching Nimmo play leftfield, it does not look like a good idea to put him in center. I love the IDEA of him being a Met for life but actually watching him go out there for six more years might be more painful than the idea seemed at the time.
This Mets leadership values defense up the middle very highly, as seen by focusing on Bader, Siri and Taylor in center over the last two years. I don’t think Nimmo is going to get much time there this year. Like others have said I would like to see Acuna out there just so we know what we have in him as a potential OF.
Nimmo is at best now a hair below average in LF (lowest 32% by FR and with a below league average sprint speed) and about the worst CF arm in the game, while Marte and Winker last year at 35 and 30 were among the very worst OFers in baseball—and now they’re 36 and 31—all acc to Statcast.
With Nimmo in CF you’re suggesting quite literally the worst defensive OF in the majors (probably -25 to -30 overall over a full season) in order to get two bats in the lineup with OPS+s of 69 and 61.
It was always a mistake to both kick away a roster spot on Marte, _and_ go with Winker again instead of spending more on a DH well above average from both sides or who at least could play a respectable corner OF,, particularly once Squirrel got hurt—and now we’re seeing one cost of that.
I guess it’s a good thing that I suggested “short term” in my post, then. 😉
Heh–yes it is.
But, comrade, that lineup can’t be what you want for even one game,
The entire DH / OF / bench setup was poorly planned for a $325m team with effectively unlimited funds.
Light-hitting platoon DHs who would be the worst OFers in MLB if you sent them out there? How did Stearns think this was the right plan?
The front office is willing to sacrifice short-term position player depth (carrying an injured Siri briefly) for pitching versatility, a choice that could pay dividends in close games but risks exposing their outfield woes if Azócar can’t hold his own.