Mets cut Daniel Vogelbach, Luis Guillorme, others at non-tender deadline
Mets designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach reacts after he grounded into a double play to end an MLB game against the Cubs at Citi Field on Tuesday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Daniel Vogelbach’s tumultuous year-and-a-half run with the Mets is over. The Mets dropped the DH from their roster Friday night, making him a free agent immediately.
They also cut infielder Luis Guillorme plus a trio of righthanded relievers: Trevor Gott, Jeff Brigham and Sam Coonrod.
Outfielder DJ Stewart signed a one-year deal for a reported $1.38 million after his breakout second half.
That flurry of moves came before the 8 p.m. deadline for teams to guarantee contracts for 2024 to arbitration-eligible and pre-arbitration players. Clubs relinquished the rights to players who were not tendered contracts, allowing those individuals to reach the open market.
The rest of the Mets’ unsigned players on the 40-man roster were tendered contracts and thus retained. Actual salaries for arbitration-eligible players, including Pete Alonso, Drew Smith, Joey Lucchesi and David Peterson, will be determined via the arbitration process in the coming months.
Vogelbach was one of the most unpopular players among fans, with his limited skill set and the Mets’ loyalty to him amid his and the team’s struggles triggering frequent boos. He arrived in a July 2022 trade with the Pirates, a primary piece of then-general manager Billy Eppler’s roster- tweaking at the trade deadline that proved to be not enough as the team collapsed in the final weeks of the regular season.
His numbers across parts of two seasons: .241/.359/.415. Although that registered as above-average offensive production, his inability to hit lefthanded pitchers, play defense or run well often handcuffed the Mets and hurt his value.
Stewart became a highlight in an otherwise lost summer for the Mets. He batted .244 with an .840 OPS — hitting 11 homers with 26 RBIs in 58 games — as the regular rightfielder.
Although neither his role nor his expected performance for next season are clear, the Mets signing him to a relatively cheap contract allows them to figure out that later, basically giving him a shot to prove his July-September was not a fluke.
The Mets have only 28 players on their 40-man roster, signaling an eventful offseason to come.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
