Just Mets

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The Mets could soon be activating David Wright, Erik Goeddel, and Michael Cuddyer from the disabled list. In doing so, the Mets will have to maneuver both their active and 40-man rosters to accommodate them.

Cuddyer is on the 15-disabled list, so the Mets simply have to option a player to the minor leagues for him.

But both Wright and Goeddel are on the 60-day disabled list, which was designed to clear roster space for the club’s new acquisitions last week. Since they’re both closing in on a return, two people from the 40-man roster will need to be removed, which is never an easy task.

Cuddyer will likely be activated on Monday, and Goeddel could be activated sometime next week as well, so these decisions are imminent.

Wright is further out, with no clear timetable for him to return. But, he’s pacing towards a return by September 1, so the Mets can hold on making an active and a 40-man roster decision for him.

Here’s a look at the options for both the active and 40-man rosters for the Mets ahead of these forthcoming transactions…

–Active Roster–

Replace Eric Campbell with Cuddyer.

To make room for Cuddyer, the Mets could simply option Campbell to Las Vegas. They’ve already spent his player option this year, and offers the path of least resistance in terms of roster flexibility and maneuverability.

Sure, the Mets lose a versatile infielder/outfielder, but they have a sudden surplus in versatile players in Yoenis Cespedes and Kelly Johnson, not to mention Daniel Murphy who is a capable third baseman with obvious experience at first and second.

Unfortunately for Campbell, he would be a victim of a numbers game as well as simply being pushed down the depth chart. He will likely be recalled when rosters expand in September anyway.

Replace Michael Conforto with Cuddyer.

Demoting the club’s top prospect would not the popular move by any means. It also might not be the best move for business reasons, which could be a key reason to keep Conforto on the roster.

If the Mets option him, the Mets would have 20 days to recall him (or have him serve as an injury replacement, again) before being required to spend his first of likely four player options. That might seem ok, but if he doesn’t make the team out of camp next spring, the Mets would be forced to spend a second player option in a span of seven months.

It’s never ideal to spend options unnecessarily on players who deserve to be in the big leagues, let alone two in a 365-day period. If the Mets simply waited to option Conforto until August 12, they could bring him back when rosters expand on September 1, or within the 20-day window which would preserve their option.

Spending an option only to recall him in three weeks would be a wasted transaction. And, three weeks at Triple-A probably wouldn’t do anything productive for his development right now, anyway.

And in reality, Conforto is probably the better option than Campbell right now.

Replace Hansel Robles with Erik Goeddel.

Robles throws hard, has a deadly slider, and has the ability to miss bats, and he really handles left-handed hitters well. These are all things which are essential in high-leverage situations, especially late in the year.

Unfortunately for Robles, consistency and command of the strike zone has been a significant problem for him in his first stint in the big leagues. Yes, he has gotten some huge outs and has pitched well at times, but the large body of work suggests the Mets need a general improvement, as his park-adjusted ERA is only 86, well below the league average.

Like Conforto, if the Mets wait to activate Goeddel until August 12, they could option Robles and bring him back before having to officially spend the option on September 1.

This solves the problem on the active roster, but the Mets would still need to make a corresponding move on the 40-man roster.

Replace Carlos Torres with Erik Goeddel.

This seems like the least likely option, although it solves an active and a 40-man roster problem in one fell swoop.

Earlier in the year, an argument could definitely had been made to jettison Torres from the roster. But, he has pitched really well as of late thanks in large measure to being moved to a more suitable role in the bullpen. He’s also pitching much less frequently than he was before which is presumably helping to restore his stamina.

He’s valuable in a long-relief role, and a guy who can bridge the gap to the late inning relievers if the starter can’t go six or seven innings. He will also come in handy when the Mets need to use a spot starter over the course of this month, as it’s not clear if that starter will be able to go more than five or six innings at a time.

Replace Michael Conforto with David Wright.

There is literally no infielder for Wright to replace if Cuddyer replaces Campbell.

But he could replace Conforto, at least temporarily.

For arguments sake, lets say Wright comes back by August 20. The Mets could activate Wright, option Conforto, and recall Conforto 12 days later when rosters expand, which would allow the Mets to retain the option on Conforto (he would be brought back within 20 days of being optioned).

Sure, they’d be demoting a worthy big leaguer and their best prospect, but it’s temporary, and it’s not as if he’s being replaced with a lesser player, anyway.

–40-man Roster–

Designate one of the Triple-A catchers for assignment.

The Mets have dedicated ten percent of their 40-man roster to catchers. It has created an imbalance and limited the front office’s flexibility to maneuver their roster in general.

It’s not without good reasoning. The Mets were without Travis d’Arnaud for most of the season to date, and the Mets were starving for some kind of competent depth behind Kevin Plawecki which forced them to take a look at Johnny Monell in addition to Anthony Recker.

But something will likely have to give now that people are starting to get healthy, and the need for roster spots grow. If that means the Mets have to risk losing one of Monell or Recker, so be it.

But this is a worthy risk to take for two players who could very well clear waivers and be retained in the organization, if they so choose.

Designating either Monell or Recker doesn’t solve their active roster problem, since both are in the minor leagues.

This would create immediate 40-man roster space for Goeddel, at which point the Mets could option Robles to the minor leagues.

Designate one of non-major league infielders for assignment now, one later.

The Mets have both Wilfredo Tovar and Daniel Muno on the 40-man roster, with neither appearing to be warranting much of a look down the stretch of the season.

Both could probably be designated with little risk of being claimed off waivers. And in fairness, their depth chart right now might not be impacted too much if either are claimed.

The Mets could designated one of them for assignment now, add Goeddel to the 40-man roster, and swap him with Robles. The Mets could then designate the other later and add Wright back to the 40-man roster.

 

Can the Mets do anything with Jack Leathersich?

Leathersich is on the 40-man roster, and recently underwent Tommy John Surgery on his left elbow, which could sideline him for the entire 2016 season.

But since that injury took place in the minor leagues, he is on the Las Vegas 51s disabled list, not the big league disabled list.

The Mets could really use his 40-man roster spot at the moment, but there is no easy way to solve that problem.

If the Mets promoted Leathersich and placed him on the 60-day disabled list, that would open the roster spot. But, he would be earning a big league salary plus accruing big league service time if the Mets took that route.

In addition, when the World Series ends, Leathersich has to be reinstated to the active roster, meaning someone else has to give up his roster spot, not to mention the other players who are also not he 60-day disabled list (Zack Wheeler, Josh Edgin, etc.). Then, at the conclusion of spring training next year, the Mets would have to place Leathersich back on the 60-day disabled list, and he would continue to earn a big league salary and accrue service time.

In other words, this is not ideal.

The Mets could attempt to outright Leathersich off the 40-man roster and into the minors, but he would have to pass through waivers first in order for that to happen.

It could be a safe bet. It’s hard to envision another team carrying a player they know will not contribute next year on their 40-man roster, especially since most teams face the same challenges the Mets do, albeit to a likely smaller degree.

But the Mets successfully navigated a similar problem with Jeff Walters last year, so they could attempt to do this again with Leathersich.