Mets Make Roster Depth Moves

Posted by Patrick Gorman 12/6/2023

The Winter Meetings is the most wonderful time of the year for the die hard baseball fans. It is the time of the year where teams attempt to make their Christmas List a reality, but this year has not been the case so far. With everyone waiting for Japanese sensation Shohei Ohtani to make his decision on where he wants to play, the stove has been relatively cold at the moment. This holdup has not stopped The Mets from making signings to improve the depth of this roster and we will break down some of the moves.

Michael Tonkin

The most recent move the team has made was signing reliever Michael Tonkin to a one-year deal worth $1 million as Mark Feinsand first reported late Tuesday night. The right-hander tossed a 4.28 ERA with 75 strikeouts in 80 innings for The Braves. I think Tonkin will be used as a multi-inning reliever similar to how the team used Trevor Williams in 2022 as the multi-inning guy out of the bullpen. With a 3.85xERA last year I don't think any fan should complain about this move at all .

Jose Iglesias

This move just once again emphasized how important David Stearns value run prevention for The 2024 Mets. Jose Iglesias has been well known around the league for being a defensive wizard and The Mets announced that they have signed Iglesias to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. While not playing a single MLB game last year, he did hit .292/.328/.380/.708 with the Rockies. This is my favorite depth move they have made because of his elite defensive versatility and being a cheaper upgrade than Luis Guillorme.

Kyle Crick

On 12/1/23 The Mets have signed Kyle Crick to a minor league deal. Crick did not pitch in 2023, but in his six year career he has posted a 3.56 ERA at 31 years old. What really intrigues me about Crick is his wicked slider movement. Mike Mayer posted on X saying that Crick "Throws sliders a lot and he leads MLB with most over 3500 rpms in the last five seasons". If Crick can come back with his wicked slider, then he can be a vital piece of the bullpen for 2024.

Andre Scrubb

This one really intrigues me for two reasons: 1. I know nothing about Scrubb and 2. He is from the Astros. Not having pitched in MLB since 2021 he does have a respectable 3.32 ERA over 43 innings and he is also pitching really well in winter ball posting a 16ks in 13 innings while only giving up 2 ER. The Mets could've found a diamond in the rough and the fact that he comes from Houston makes me very interested in him.

I know a lot of people are impatient, but notice that none of the big guys have moved yet (as of now). We got to see how the off-season plays out for now and sometimes the back end of the roster is just as important than the big guys on the roster.