The Mets have a simple math problem to solve before November 2: they’re carrying 43 players on the 40-man roster and need to trim three. That doesn’t even account for other moves that could shake things up, whether it’s a non-tender like Mark Vientos or a DFA to create room for players the team might want to protect from the Rule 5 Draft, such as Jefferson Rojas.
There’s going to be plenty of movement in the coming weeks, along with the usual buzz around bigger targets like Tarik Skubal. But before any of that matters, the Mets need to get to 40. And the easiest way to do that is by moving on from three players who don’t look like part of the plan.
Robert Stock feels like the cleanest cut. He had his moments of usefulness, but the bigger question is whether a major league contract is really justified here.
There’s no realistic path that lands him on the 2027 Opening Day roster. He can always be brought back to Triple-A if the Mets want depth, but keeping him around through the offseason doesn’t make much sense.
He was a mildly fun story, and now he looks like someone who’s headed for life after playing, with a future in an analytics department somewhere.
Cristian Pache is another obvious candidate. He’s out of options, and the Mets haven’t gotten nearly enough out of him to justify hanging onto him.
He appeared in only 8 of 15 games, mostly as a pinch runner and defensive replacement late in games. That kind of profile can matter when the season is deep and the roster is stretched.
It matters a lot less when everyone is starting from 0-0. At this point, he looks more like a minor league emergency call-up than someone who has a real shot at breaking camp next spring.
Christopher Morel rounds out the group. The Mets gave him a chance, but the numbers made the case against him: just .200 in 32 plate appearances.
He’s not going to replace Vientos, and he doesn’t suddenly become a roster fit through some sort of platoon with Jared Young. Morel still carries name value because of the power he’s shown, but that early burst with the Cubs feels like it came from a different player entirely.
The Mets probably can’t even count on him as injury insurance right now. A minor league deal would make sense if they want to keep the door open, but the upside comes with very little certainty.
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Marcus Semien, Brett Baty and Kodai Senga all sit in a murky place as the Mets look ahead, with their roles for 2027 not nearly as settled as the organization would like. In each case, inconsistency has left more questions than answers, and recent front office comments suggest the team is still weighing how much trust to place in those key win-now spots as the offseason begins. [Read more 🡒]