The team tendered contracts to all other eligible players.
The Mets have non-tendered three players at tonight’s non-tender deadline; RHP Grant Hartwig, OF Alex Ramirez, and LHP Alex Young. All other eligible players were tendered a contract. Additionally, the Mets reached a one-year deal w/ Sean Reid-Foley (terms not yet known, but likely for a low dollar value that kept him on the roster).
None of the three non-tendered players are particularly surprising. Hartwig was poor in Triple-A and got shelled in his brief major league time this year, and the Mets already have multiple more interesting relief options. Ditto Alex Young, who was somewhat usable after being claimed off waivers from the Reds at midseason but is someone the team will certainly try to upgrade on. As for Alex Ramirez, the former top-100 prospect has seen his stock tumble precipitously in the last two seasons. He posted a paltry 74 wRC+ with Double-A Binghamton after posting a 78 wRC+ with High-A Brooklyn in 2023, displaying no real signs of growth outside of the stolen base department.
In terms of the players the Mets did tender contracts, Paul Blackburn and Luis Torrens are really the only surprises of any magnitude. Blackburn, who the Mets acquired from the A’s at the trade deadline, is due less than $5M in arbitration. However, concerns over his back injury led to speculation he might get the axe; that the Mets tendered him a contract is perhaps a positive sign. Torrens, meanwhile, is an okay backup catcher, though one you could have imagined the team looking to upgrade on.
Some other notable non-tenders around the league might be of interest to the Mets. The Rockies surprisingly cut Brendan Rodgers lose, and he’d make sense as a higher upside option to slot into the Jose Iglesias role (though another team likely gives him a chance to start). Dylan Carlson was non-tendered by the Rays and could be of interest as a former top prospect, though the fit is a bit awkward after the trade for Jose Siri. On the mound, former Stearns pickup Hoby Milner was let go by the Brewers, and he could be on the Mets radar as left-handed bullpen reinforcement. So could Colin Poche, who was cut lose by the Rays.
The Mets 40-man roster now stands at 31 players, giving David Stearns and the rest of the front office ample wiggle room heading into the Winter Meetings in early December.