10 Players New York Mets Need To Cut From Their 40-Man Roster

10 Players The New York Mets Need To Cut From Their 40-Man Roster

Brad Penner - USATODAY Sports

The New York Mets’ front office has a huge challenge in front of them this offseason as they have a lot of needs to fill. But before they can start to add pieces that will make the team better, they need to do a lot of subtracting. Even when the World Series ends and free agents-to-be like Johan Santana, Frank Francisco and LaTroy Hawkins are removed from the roster, the Mets will have a completely full 40-man roster, and that’s something that’s going to have to change.

Even after the Mets lost both outfielder Mike Baxter and lefty reliever Robert Carson on waivers and outrighted relievers Greg Burke and Sean Henn to triple-A, the Mets still have an overcrowded roster. The Mets are eventually going to need to add some of their top prospects to the 40-man roster in order to protect them from being chosen in the Rule-5 Draft. Then, the Mets will need open roster spots if they plan on signing free agents or adding major league players in trades, which leaves a lot of work in front of them.

Thus, the Mets will be forced to remove several players from their 40-man roster when the offseason gets underway. One method would be to non-tender arbitration eligible players, but so many of those players will need to be kept as trade bait. Of course, the Mets are risking losing any players they remove from the 40-man roster on waivers, so they have to be judicious about who they let go. With that in mind, here are 10 players the Mets should take off their 40-man roster.

10. Jordany Valdespin

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Valdespin should be the first player the Mets cut. Over the summer, I outlined five reasons why they should release him, and his Biogenesis suspension should have been the final straw. He has talent, but he’s not worth the headache, and the Mets need to cut him and never look back.

9. Anthony Recker

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Recker did some good things as the Mets backup catcher this year. He’s good defensively and has some power offensively, but the Mets are going to look for a veteran backup for starter Travis d’Arnaud, and they have a few younger catchers in the minors they can use as depth, which makes Recker expendable.

8. Scott Rice

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Rice is a great story as he made his big league debut this season after 14 years in the minors. But there are reasons why it took him 14 years to get to the majors. The Mets should look to upgrade their lefty relievers this offseason, and there’s a good chance Rice gets through waivers and stays in the organization to audition for a spot in spring training next year, which means he’s a guy they can afford to put on waivers.

7. Hansel Robles

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The Mets protected Robles from the Rule 5 Draft last year, even though he had never played full-season ball. He was solid but unspectacular in high-A ball this year with an ERA of 3.72. He could become a contributor in the big leagues one day, but he’s already 22, hasn’t seen double-A and his ceiling isn’t that high. The Mets can’t afford to keep wasting a roster spot on him.

6. Zach Lutz

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There’s no doubt that Lutz can hit, and he may even be able to hold down a big league job at third base. However, he’s getting old, he has trouble staying healthy, and the Mets have no place to put him. It’d be nice to keep him, but there’s no way the Mets can justify keeping him on the roster.

5. Kirk Nieuwenhuis

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He’s had plenty of opportunities and has never been able to consistently produce at the big league level. Juan Lagares looks to have the center field job locked down, and the Mets will look for proven players to play the corners. They’re probably more comfortable with Matt den Dekker as their fourth outfielder, which will lead to Nieuwenhuis being put on waivers.

4. Jeremy Hefner

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This would be a risky move and a last resort, but if the Mets need space on their roster, they could try to get Hefner through waivers instead of waiting until April to put him on the 60-day disabled list. Hefner is expected to miss the 2014 season after having Tommy John surgery, and it may not be worth it to keep him on the roster until 2015. It’s not like he’s Matt Harvey and the team’s ace of the future. Hefner is a useful pitcher and he was one of the best pitchers in baseball during the month of June, but the Mets may or may not need him in 2015. It’s not like other teams will be lining up to add an injured pitcher to their roster, so the Mets can take a chance on getting him through waivers while being able to keep him in their organization.

3. Justin Turner

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The Mets really don’t need to keep ensuring Turner a spot on the major league roster. He’s more of a backup than a platoon player, and unless the Mets want him to be their backup shortstop, they can live without him.

2. Scott Atchison

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He’s one of the guys the Mets should not offer arbitration to. The Mets need to get younger in their bullpen, and keeping Atchison around won’t make them any younger.

1. Josh Satin

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At his age, and with his limited defensive abilities and versatility, the Mets should be able to get Satin through waivers. He was a nice fill-in at first base this season, but that’s all he is -- a temporary fill-in. Satin shouldn’t be considered a solution to the Mets’ issues at first base. If another team wants to claim him off waivers, let them. The Mets’ season in 2014 won’t be dependent on whether or not Satin is on the roster.