Will the Mets non-tender some of them?
There are several weeks until the Mets have to make firm decisions on whether or not to tender contracts to their arbitration-eligible players, but now that it’s officially the offseason, it’s not too soon for us to start thinking about it. The Mets have eight such players, and we’ll take a quick look at them here. Arbitration estimates are from MLB Trade Rumors.
Pretty much locks
David Peterson, $4.4 million estimate: Coming off hip surgery that ended his 2023 season early and a few years of middling production, Peterson could have seen everything go awry in 2024. Instead, he returned from surgery on time, pitched far better than expected, and proved to be a key part of the Mets’ pitching staff in their run to the NLCS. There’s no question the team will tender him a contract.
Tyrone Taylor, $2.9 million estimate: When the Mets picked up Taylor and Adrian Houser from the Brewers in a trade, Houser seemed liked the player who would contribute more. That didn’t happen, but Taylor played pretty well in center field and hit .248/.299/.401 with 7 home runs and a 98 wRC+. Accounting for all of that, he finished with 1.2 fWAR.
Tylor Megill, $2.1 million estimate: As frustrating as he can be to watch sometimes, Megill’s performance from late July through the end of the regular season showed enough that it would be silly to non-tender him. Over the course of his final eight appearances, he had a 3.00 ERA with solid strikeout and walk rates. His postseason work was far less encouraging, but he didn’t pitch all that much in the playoffs.
On the non-tender bubble
Paul Blackburn, $4.4 million estimate: When the Mets traded for Blackburn, the extra year of control remaining seemed to make him a strong candidate for the team’s pitching staff in 2025. In early October, however, he had surgery to address an issue with spinal fluid. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Mets try to bring him back on a minor league deal if he is non-tendered.
DJ Stewart, $1.7 million estimate: After a very good stint with the Mets in 2023, Stewart finished with just an 88 wRC+ in 194 plate appearances this year. And while his effort in the outfield was commendable, he really is a designated hitter. You really have to hit a lot better than that to be a regular DH. A non-tender here wouldn’t be too surprising even with the relatively modest salary projection.
Alex Young, $1.4 million estimate: The 31-year-old lefty only threw 13.2 innings for the Mets at the major league level this year and had a 3.29 ERA with a 4.70 FIP in that time. He’s out of options, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Mets hold on to him until at least spring training.
Luis Torrens, $1.1 million estimate: With their season seemingly in disarray, the Mets made a relatively minor move, bringing in Torrens for cash in a deal with the Yankees. He wound up taking over as the team’s backup catcher for the rest of the season and did well. His projected salary isn’t prohibitive by any stretch of the imagination, and the Mets don’t have an obvious replacement for him in the minors.
Sean Reid-Foley, $900k estimate: When healthy, Reid-Foley put together some of his best work of his major league career, as he threw 21.2 innings with a 1.66 ERA and a 2.80 FIP. His walk rate was still really bad, but he managed not to allow a single home run. Assuming the Mets tender him a contract, he’ll be entering his fifth season with the organization.