Who Should the Mets Non-Tender?
One of the first things on the Mets’ offseason agenda will be deciding who to offer a contract to among the players who are eligible for arbitration or remain under club control because they don’t have enough service time to become a free agent.
Clubs either “tender” a contract to those who they want back, or “non-tender” a player, who then becomes a free agent eligible to be signed by all 30 teams. The deadline to make that decision has yet to be announced, but last year it was Nov. 17.
With that, let’s take a look at the Mets’ non-tender candidates and whether or not the team should bring them back in 2025.
Salary projections in parenthesis for the eight players who are eligible for arbitration were done by Matt Swartz and published by MLB Trade Rumors. My two cents is in bold.
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Paul Blackburn
Paul Blackburn ($4.4 million) went 1-2 with a 5.18 ERA and 1.56 WHIP in five starts for the Mets after being acquired from the Oakland Athletics at the trade deadline. The 30-year-old is an eight-year veteran with a 4.85 career ERA. He had back surgery on Oct. 11 to repair a cerebrospinal fluid leak that will put him out of action for up to five months, but if the recovery goes well, he may be ready for Opening Day.
With the Mets set to lose up to three starters from their rotation to free agency (Luis Severino, Jose Quintana and Sean Manaea, who has an opt out), president of baseball operations David Stearns said Wednesday there are lots of innings to fill. Still, Blackburn projects as a borderline No. 5 starter when healthy. With the added injury concerns, it makes sense to move on.
Recommendation: Non-tender.
Luis Torrens
Luis Torrens ($1.1 million) slashed .229/.292/.373 in 130 plate appearances backing up Francisco Alvarez. He threw out 13 of 28 runners attempting to steal.
Recommendation: Tender.
Tyrone Taylor
Tyrone Taylor ($2.9 million) hit seven homers, 22 doubles and three triples in 345 plate appearances (.701 OPS) and played excellent defense. He could be the 2025 Opening Day centerfielder.
Recommendation: Tender.
David Peterson
David Peterson ($4.4 million) was 10-3 with a 2.90 ERA in 21 starts. This is an easy call.
Recommendation: Tender.
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Tylor Megill
Tylor Megill, ($2.1 million), while not as effective as Peterson, is also a simple decision given the cost of pitching. He was 4-5 in 16 appearances (15 starts) with a 4.04 ERA.
Recommendation: Tender.
Alex Young
Alex Young ($1.4 million) tossed 13 2/3 innings out of the bullpen (3.29 ERA, 13 Ks) after the Mets picked him up off waivers from the San Francisco Giants in July. The Mets need a bullpen lefty, but there will be better options out there.
Recommendation: Non-tender.
DJ Stewart
DJ Stewart ($1.7 million) was a pleasant surprise at the end of 2023, but slashed a disappointing .177/.325/.297 this year with five homers in 194 plate appearances.
Recommendation: Non-tender.
Sean Reid-Foley
Sean Reid-Foley ($900,000) was having his best major league season (1.66 ERA, 25 strikeouts, 21 2/3 innings) before a shoulder injury knocked him out of action in June. His rehab assignment was stalled in August after a concerning dip in velocity.
Recommendation: Non-tender.
Other Non-Tender Candidates
New York has six other players on the 40-man roster who haven’t accrued enough service time to be eligible for arbitration but could still be non-tendered to make room: pitchers Danny Young, Max Kranick, Joey Lucchesi, Tyler Zuber and Matt Gage; outfielder José Azocar.
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