4 NY Mets who won't be on the roster by August after Brandon Nimmo's front office challenge

After their win on Tuesday, the New York Mets are back at .500, sitting at 45-45 on the year. The NL East is out of the question but they're just 1.5 games back of the third Wild Card spot.

The Mets being right in the thick of the Wild Card race means that barring a big and immediate losing streak, this Mets team will be buying, or at the very least not selling. You can take Pete Alonso, J.D. Martinez, and Luis Severino out of your mock trades for now.

With the postseason in sight, Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo has challenged the front office to make additional moves to help this team play meaningful October baseball. The Mets already responded to the challenge, acquiring Phil Maton in a trade on Monday. Assuming they remain in the hunt, more moves will follow.

If the Mets do make more moves, that means players currently on the roster have to go. These four in particular should not be on the roster by August.

4) Eric Orze might get sent down immediately

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza made a bold decision on Monday, removing Christian Scott who was pitching really well despite throwing just 77 pitches. He brought Orze in for his major league to face the heart of the Pirates' batting order and it did not go well, as the right-hander failed to retire a batter and the Mets lost the game.

Orze didn't pitch too poorly, as he narrowly missed striking Bryan Reynolds out and induced a soft ground ball that resulted in an infield single, but the reality of the situation is he has minor league options. When relievers have minor league options and are inexperienced, they're always candidates to get sent down to the minor leagues.

With the Mets acquiring Maton, it feels almost certain that Orze will be the one to go down to the minors. It's unfortunate as Orze has had a pretty good year in the minors, but if they really want to improve the bullpen he's the easiest one to let go of.

3) DJ Stewart has proven he does not deserve to remain on the roster

The bullpen should be the main area of focus for the Mets at the trade deadline, but that doesn't mean that they have to keep underperforming players in the majors. DJ Stewart is a prime example of that.

Stewart made the Opening Day roster in large part because J.D. Martinez wasn't going to be ready after signing with the team late in Spring Training. He got off to a hot start to the point where he remained on the roster when Martinez returned, and has stuck around for the entire season thus far.

Unfortunately, Stewart has been mired in a prolonged slump. Not only is he hitless in his last 15 at-bats, but the 30-year-old has five hits in his last 55 at-bats (.091 average) dating back to late May. He's slashing .168/.320/.307 with five home runs and 19 RBI all season.

Yes, he can draw the occasional walk, but he has one home run since the calendar flipped to May, is subpar in the field, and doesn't run well. He has provided no value since April. Even if the Mets don't make a trade to address this, Stewart should be sent down to the minors as soon as possible, especially since he can be optioned.

2) The Mets have a couple of reasons to let Jake Diekman go

Jake Diekman signed a one-year deal to join the Mets and be their second lefty out of the bullpen. The deal made sense as despite a rough start to his 2023 campaign, Diekman posted a 2.18 ERA, proving to be a dominant reliever once the Rays scooped him up. Unfortunately, his success has not carried over to 2024.

Diekman has. a 5.06 ERA in 37 appearances and 26.2 innings of work. While he has held the opposition to a .183 batting average, Diekman has issued an absurd 22 walks. He's walked nearly a batter an inning, which is unsustainable, and his command has only gotten worse as the season has progressed.

The Mets needed Diekman to step up with their primary left-handed reliever, Brooks Raley, sidelined for the year, but he has failed to do so. Assuming that the Mets can add a reliever, Diekman feels like an easy one to let go of.

No, it's never ideal to eat money, but Diekman in particular has a vesting option worth $4 million which vests if he reaches 58 appearances. Based on how he has pitched this season, the Mets should not want him back in 2025. He hasn't been good, and the team should do what it can to avoid being stuck with him for next season. Those are two reasons to let him go.

1) Adam Ottavino's time with the Mets should be coming to an end

Adam Ottavino's time with the Mets has been better than most fans give it credit for. He was lights out in 2022, was pretty good in 2023 despite some bumps along the way, and even got off to a dominant start this season. He allowed just two runs in his first 11 appearances, striking out 20 batters compared to just two walks in 11.2 innings of work. Unfortunately, things have gone seriously downhill since.

Ottavino's last 24 appearances have seen him post a 6.85 ERA in 22.1 innings of work. Even on Tuesday he entered the eighth inning armed with a 6-0 lead and was only able to record one out before being removed. He had given up two runs and given Washington some momentum. Dedniel Nunez was able to quickly put that inning to an end, but Ottavino's struggles cannot be ignored.

He's not a long reliever so he can't soak up many innings when the team gets a short start, is allowing left-handed hitters to put up a .926 OPS against him making him tough to use, and again, has really struggled as the season has progressed.

Whether the Mets would be willing to simply eat money owed to both Ottavino and Diekman remains to be seen. Diekman would be easier to remove because of his vesting option. However, both of them have struggled to the point where the Mets would probably benefit moving on and trying other options, whether they're internal or (preferably) external, than sticking with them for much longer.