3 Mets players who won't survive the MLB Winter Meetings and why

The New York Mets had a magical 2024 season but saw their outstanding run end in the NLCS. It was a great year for the Mets, especially considering their low expectations entering the season, but they still fell short of the ultimate goal. With that in mind, a big offseason is ahead for the Mets.

All eyes in Flushing are on whether the Mets can sign Juan Soto and whether Pete Alonso returns, but there's a lot more going on. Several key members of the Mets rotation and bullpen are free agents, and a ton of money is off the books. Steve Cohen has an opportunity to flex his financial muscles and really revamp this roster.

Changes will be made, and those changes start with letting certain players go. It wouldn't be shocking to see these three players wearing new uniforms by the time that December's Winter Meetings conclude.

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3. Phil Maton likely won't be back with the Mets

One of several under-the-radar trades made by David Stearns saw the Mets trade for Phil Maton. The veteran right-hander struggled with the Tampa Bay Rays, but with the Mets bullpen in dire need of depth, they took a low-risk shot on Maton, and it paid off. The 31-year-old posted a 2.51 ERA in 31 regular season appearances for the Mets and ended the regular season as their primary set-up man.

Unfortunately, he'd struggle mightily in October, allowing six runs in 6.1 innings of work and surrendering at least one run in four of his six outings. Those postseason struggles are likely why the Mets declined his club option worth over $7 million.

The Mets could elect to bring Maton back at a smaller dollar figure, but given Maton's strong regular season in New York and his solid track record, he'll likely earn somewhere somewhat close to the option amount. With that in mind, it's safe to say that the Mets will look elsewhere.

2. Harrison Bader is as good as gone from the Mets

For much of the regular season, the Harrison Bader signing looked like a bargain for New York. Not only did he bring his usual Gold Glove-caliber defense to center field, but Bader also came up clutch repeatedly from the No. 9 spot in the batting order, provided speed to a lineup that mostly lacked it, and even found a way to stay healthy, appearing in a career-high 143 games. This was the first time he appeared in over 100 games since 2021.

While Bader was mostly solid in his lone season in Queens, the way his year finished makes him likely to be gone. Bader had just 10 hits in his last 85 regular season at-bats, slashing .118/.198/.271 in that span. His deep slump at the plate led to the Mets benching him down the stretch more often than not in favor of Tyrone Taylor. Bader would see plenty of action as a defensive replacement in October but started just two of New York's 13 postseason games.

The Mets have internal options that they can and should consider before bringing Bader back. Taylor is still under club control, Brandon Nimmo has played a ton of center field over the course of his career, and even one of their top prospects, Drew Gilbert, is a center fielder.

Cody Bellinger choosing to opt into his contract and avoid free agency made Bader the best center fielder available. He'll likely earn more money and playing time elsewhere than a team like the Mets should be willing to offer him and could sign by the time that the Winter Meetings conclude. Even if they don't want any of their internal options starting in center field, they'd benefit more by pulling off a trade for a center fielder instead of bringing Bader back.

1. The Mets should strongly consider trading Brett Baty before it's too late

This one's tough. Brett Baty just a couple of years ago was seen as one of the best position player prospects in all of baseball. He's shown flashes of why that has been the case during parts of three seasons in the majors, but as his career .607 OPS suggests, he just hasn't put it together at the highest level.

This past season saw Baty get handed the third base job out of Spring Training. He showed considerable improvement with his glove, but his bat lagged behind. His struggles led to the team giving Mark Vientos a shot at the hot corner, and as we saw the rest of the way, Vientos ran with said opportunity.

Trading Baty now would mean selling low on him, but what's the alternative? Even if Vientos is moved to first base, it's not as if a Mets team trying to win in 2025 should hand Baty a starting role. He wouldn't gain much of anything as a backup. He also has proven that he should be in the majors based on his Triple-A numbers.

If the Mets don't trade Baty now, whatever value he has left will likely be lost. It's never fun giving up on a former top prospect, and it'd be frustrating to see him find his footing elsewhere when he failed to do so in several chances in Queens, but at this point, it's probably for the best for both sides.