Jett Williams
Well, it looks like Harrison Bader will not be returning to the New York Mets because the Mets obtained Jose Siri from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Eric Orze.
Siri, 29, is a year younger than Bader and essentially does the same exact thing Bader did last year.
In 2024, Siri had a 16 OAA to Bader’s 10. Over the past three years, Siri leads in OAA 16 to 14.
Siri is one of the fastest players in baseball with a sprint speed of 29.9 ft/sec. Bader was also quick, but he was at a 28.2. It’s one of the reasons Bader was a -1 Runner Run last year to Siri’s 2.
Where Bader is better is hitting. Last year, Bader was an 85 wRC+ and has a 90 wRC+ for his career. Siri had a 70 wRC+ and an 89 for his career.
Against left-handed pitchers, Bader had a 70 wRC+ against lefties and for his career it’s a 109. Siri had a 92 wRC+ against lefties last year and has a 76 for his career.
Siri rarely walks and strikes out far too often. He does have a good barrel rate, but his exit velocities are low. If you get the right hitting coach, maybe you could unlock something, but it’s highly unlikely.
In reality, Siri is nothing more than a defensive specialist. That’s all the Mets need from their fifth outfielder making him a much better fit for the role than Bader would be.
That’s no slight on Bader who was a great fit for the Mets last year. It’s just that Siri will be a better fit for a team looking to sign Juan Soto while also having Jett Williams and Ryan Clifford on the horizon.
Siri was just the better fit for a defensive replacement and specialist. Bader is probably better, but Siri fits the role better. Getting him for a reliever the Mets won’t use just makes this a smart move.
Heading into 2024, the New York Mets made it clear they weren’t rebuilding. It was a retooling. Even in that reset, they expected to make the postseason.
The decision made sense. They were paying for contracts like Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. There were young players they needed to get a real look at the Major League level to see if they were part of the future.
Even if the Mets did not make the postseason, the 2024 season should’ve been considered successful because they found out a lot about their team.
Brett Baty wasn’t the third baseman of the present, and now, he won’t be the third baseman of the future. Thats fine because Mark Vientos was, and he was the best hitter at the position at the Major League level.
David Peterson finally emerged to be the starter the Mets thought he could be. Jose Butto and Dedniel Núñez emerged as very good relievers.
Even though he needed Tommy John and will be lost for 2025, Christian Scott looks like a real rotation piece in the future.
That’s similar to what happened to Ronny Mauricio. He went from 2024 second baseman to a man potentially without a spot. For the Mets, they saw something in him and have interest to see if it’s still there.
Speaking of second base, Luisangel Acuña helped save the Mets season when Francisco Lindor injured his back. Is he the Opening Day second baseman? He did enough to put himself in the mix.
Of course, Acuña has defensive versatility. He could be in the mix at center or third depending on a number of Mets offseason moves. He’s not the only player with defensive versatility.
Jett Williams is the Mets best prospect. He could be the second baseman, shortstop, or center fielder of the future. He might’ve gotten a look last year if not for injuries, and we may well see him in 2025.
The same can be said for Drew Gilbert. He was arguably the prize of the 2023 trade deadline. If not for injuries, he might’ve been up last year.
He’s one of several knocking on the door at Syracuse. Dom Hamel, Blade Tidwell, and Mike Vasil are awaiting their chances to see if they’re the next Butto or Peterson.
That’s nothing to say of the Double-A talent. For years, the Mets kept trying to draft Brandon Sproat, and when they finally got him, we all saw why they desperately wanted him. His battery mate, Kevin Parada, has struggled, but you never know when he finally figures it out.
There is a lot of young talent here waiting to help lead the Mets like we just saw Vientos do. That makes David Stearns job all the more challenging.
Who is the player you trade to try to get that big pitcher like Garrett Crochet? Who is untouchable? Who do you try at all costs not to block at the Major League level?
Certainly, none of these players impact the decisions on Juan Soto or bringing Pete Alonso back. However, there are other quality free agents out there who could forever block a Gilbert or a Vasil.
When making those decision, the Mets better be right. This is why this is still a retool and reset than need to go all-in.
The Mets already have enough. There is so much on the way. They don’t need a lot of help. They just need the right help.
The New York Mets have a lot of decisions to make at the trade deadline. With Kodai Senga out for the season and Christian Scott dealing with a UCL issue, they have to decide just how much they can go in on this season.
There are some big options available that could change the dynamics of the Mets this year and the ensuing years. We see former Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell on the market, and Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skrubal potentially available.
For players like Skrubal, you have to open the farm and make a trade that hurts. Looking at the Mets farm system, they do have one top prospect who can be dealt more than others.
That is Drew Gilbert.
Keep in mind what this is, and what this isn’t. Nowhere is this saying trade Gilbert, and this is not suggesting he’s a bust. Rather, looking at the Mets future plans, he may be an odd man out.
Brandon Nimmo will be in left (or right) field through the 2030 season. Center field and second will likely be split somehow between Luisangel Acuña and Jett Williams. That would leave right field for Gilbert.
Maybe.
The Mets are already rumored to be going hard after Juan Soto this coming offseason. If that doesn’t pan out, they could keep Jesse Winker for a few years while other top prospects in Ryan Clifford make their way to the majors.
There’s also the matter of what to do with Jeff McNeil and Ronny Mauricio. Each of them could be a stopgap to buy time for other prospects. For all we know, Mauricio can claim the right field job outright.
Again, this is not saying these are better options than what Gilbert could provide. Only Soto would definitively be better. Rather, this is saying the Mets could make him available in the right trade and be able to successfully pivot.
For Skrubal, the Mets should be comfortable giving Gilbert plus. For Snell, it’s an overpay the Mets probably don’t want to pay for an ace on a bad season. There may be other options.
The Mets can change the franchise for the better at this trade deadline. They did that in trading away their aces last year to get a crop of prospects like Gilbert. Now, the question is how does Gilbert now best help this franchise.
With the 11th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, the New York Mets selected catcher Kevin Parada out of Georgia Tech. This immediately led Mets fans into speculation Parada was drafted so the Mets could trade for Juan Soto.
It just doesn’t work that way. Put another way, no, Parada was not drafted as a replacement for Francisco Álvarez.
Look, you can understand the Soto excitement. Arguably, the best hitter in the game is on the market after (correctly) turning down a 15 year $440 million extension.
This has led the Washington Nationals to look to trade Soto, who hits free agency after the 2024 season. According to reports, the Nationals see the Mets as a potential trade partner. That should be obvious.
After all, Álvarez is already considered the best prospect in the minors. The Mets also have top 100 prospects in Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, Alex Ramirez, and Mark Vientos (depending on your list). Additionally, when he returns from his Tommy John rehab, Matt Allan is anticipated to join those ranks.
Simply put, the Mets have the high-end prospect talent selling teams covet at the trade deadline. Arguably, the Mets could acquire Soto even if they make Álvarez untouchable.
Another factor is Jon Heyman’s report in the New York Post wherein the Nationals may force interested teams to take on Patrick Corbin’s terrible contract. That leaves only a handful of teams who could be in a position to make the deal with Steve Cohen having the deepest pockets.
All told, yes, the Mets have what it takes to get Soto. No, Parada has no bearing on such a deal.
As Mets vice president of amateur and international scouting Tommy Tanous told MMO about draft approach, “The boring answer is you still take the best player available but having all those picks and the pool money there’s plenty of different scenarios you can play around with.”
Honestly, this is how almost all teams approach the draft. That goes double for the Mets. They draft the best player available.
The reason why the Mets drafted Parada? He was the best player available. Keep in mind, no one had Parada falling this far.
For example, Keith Law of The Athletic and MLB Pipeline had Parada going fifth to the Nationals of all teams. Parada falling to 11 was a steal, and the Mets pounced.
Ultimately, that’s the reason the Mets drafted Parada. Really, it had nothing to do with Álvarez.
Consider this. In 2019, the Baltimore Orioles made Adley Rutschman the top overall pick in the draft. Rutschman made his Major League debut roughly three years after being drafted. That’s not atypical.
Álvarez is currently playing in Triple-A Syracuse. With James McCann’s injury, it’s entirely possibly Álvarez could be called up the minute he starts hitting. If he’s not traded, we will definitively see Álvarez in the majors by 2023 at the latest.
If Parada is three years away, he’s not an Álvarez replacement. It doesn’t work that way. The Mets drafted Parada because he miraculously fell to him; not to trade Álvarez.
As an aside, the same can be said for Jett Williams. Williams was drafted 14th overall by the Mets because he was the best player available and not so the Mets could trade Ronny Mauricio.
Yes, it’s very possible the Mets trade Álvarez or Mauricio to Soto. It could be them both plus other pieces while absorbing a bad contract. Soto is 23 and that awesome.
However, there’s no cause and effect here. Parada is a Mets draftee because he was the best player available. It’s really just a coincidence he plays the same position as Álvarez, the best and most coveted prospect in the game.