While it would be bad form to establish a next season thread while it's still this season, it's probably time to at least transition. To that end, I offer the following analysis of the Mets current 47 man roster (their actual 40 man, plus 7 on long term IL or COVID).
1) PLAYERS UNDER CONTRACT - 3
Cano
deGrom
Familia
COMMENT - Yep, only three players under contract - but those three take up a good chunk of payroll. Keep in mind that deGrom has an opt-out after 2022. That's two years. I wonder if Cohen will try to make it go away. Everybody's got a price for the 15 billion dollar man.
2) FREE AGENTS - 16
Betances (player option for $6M, with $3M buyout)
Brach (player option for $1.25M)
Cespedes
Chirinos (club option with $1M buyout)
Frazier (club option with $1.5M buyout)
Hughes
Lowrie
Marisnick
Nunez
Porcello
Ramirez
Ramos (club option with $1.5M buyout)
Rivera
Stroman
Wacha
Wilson
COMMENT - First question: does Stroman get a qualifying offer? My guess is yes, and he may just take it. He of course is the only one on this list for whom that is even a consideration.
They may try to re-sign Marisnick and maybe a couple of pitchers, although I don't know who. Betances and Brach have player options so we may see them again. But most of the players on this list will surely be gone.
3) ARBITRATION ELIGIBLE - 11
Castro
Conforto
Diaz
Gsellman
Heredia
Lugo
Matz
Nimmo
Rosario
Shreve
Syndergaard
COMMENT: The major question seems to be can we extend Conforto. But there are other questions. Most notably - do you tender Syndergaard, or cut him loose? He is a free agent in 2022, and there's no guarantee he'll be healthy enough to play in 2021. I guess you have to tender him. There are a few other non-tender candidates on this list as well.
4) WELL-PAID SLAVES (Curt Flood Terminology) - 17
Alonso
Davis
Gimenez
Guillorme
Jurado
Kilome
Mazeika
McNeil
Nido
Oswalt
Peterson
Sanchez
Sewald
Smith, Dom
Smith, Drew
Szapucki
Zamora
COMMENT - Mets do have a pretty good core of position players who are not yet arb eligible, and are thus controllable for a few years. Pitchers, not so much. Some of these guys may have already had their 15 minutes.
Thanks for staying with this - comments appreciated!
Great putting this together. If nothing else, it is a great "go-to" for a Met's fan.
My thoughts:
Under contract:
deGrom- do anything possible to have him through his age of 37 or 38. Very little innings on his arm for his age. And if nothing else, he is ours, don't pull a Seaver
Cano- it is what it is- hope the DH sticks because that makes him a major player on our team
Familia - ehhh we just paid way too much. If he was making 5 instead of 10, I would be ok with him
FA's:
Wilson - I would consider him
Marsinak grew on me but I would'nt pay him much and keep him as a bench player
No F-ing way on Stroman. I was ok with him until he pulled his BS.
Depending on how things fly with SP'ing would consider a real Team friendly offer to Porcello ony as a 5th starter.
Arb Ell:
You sign Noah now- will never have a better team friendly time to do so. Is it a gamble? yes, but do it. He may just sign for a Nola type contract. If he comes back from TJ and even has a handful of "power" starts, he will get big $$$ from someone
Conforto- have to go big and do it now. If he continues at his pace, he will be the top FA when he becomes available.
Nimmo- may be able to have him do it another year to prove he can go 162 games
Lugo- but will have to give him a SP salary and give him a promised shot in rotation. If you don't do that- he is 100% gone to the team that makes him a starter.
Others- we have time but do you start thinking about making McNeil a lifer? He may be on a HOF path