Six More Mets Roster Spots Are Opened Ahead of a Busy Winter

Ahead of a busy offseason, six more roster spots are now available for the New York Mets. Days after the World Series ended, New York placed pitchers Peyton Battenfield, John Curtiss, Elieser Hernández, Bryce Montes de Oca, Denyi Reyes, and outfielder Tim Locastro on outright waivers. The moves come a couple of weeks after the team outrighted six other players off the 40-man roster.

Mets Roster Clears Up Before Offseason

Due to service time, only Curtiss, Hernández, Reyes, and Locastro can elect free agency if they clear waivers. Montes de Oca and Battenfield don’t have enough time in the majors to control their future. If unclaimed, they will remain in the Mets organization. New York now has 33 players on its 40-man roster.

Bryce Montes de Oca

Montes de Oca might be the most surprising name on the list. The towering 6-7, 266-pound 27-year-old underwent Tommy John surgery in March. He missed the entire season but is on track to return in mid-2024.

Montes de Oca has only thrown 3 1/3 MLB innings in his career but has overpowering stuff. In the minors, the righty recorded great strikeout numbers thanks to a 100+ mph fastball with great movement. While his great movement has led to many walks, the Mets hoped he could develop into a high-leverage reliever in the 2023 bullpen.

The Mets now hope that Montes de Oca sneaks through waivers unclaimed and continues rehabbing with the organization. Stearns might figure that teams will be nervous about claiming Montes de Oca because of his lengthy injury history and current lack of health.

If he stays with the Mets and fully recovers, New York will likely call him ahead of the trade deadline. Montes de Oca has the upside as a great under-the-radar weapon for a contending Mets team next year.

However, he could intrigue non-contending teams with serious pitching needs, like Oakland or Colorado. Montes de Oca has a high upside, league minimum salary, and five years of team control. A rebuilding club might feel it’s worth spending a roster spot on him now and hope he realizes his potential by the time the rebuild ends.

John Curtiss

Stearns once acquired Curtiss in Milwaukee, and some thought the previous interest and familiarity would help Curtiss stay on the roster. That was not the case, although a reunion via minor-league deal remains possible.

Curtiss comes with two years of team control. He earned $775,000 last season, and MLBTradeRumors projected him to make $1 million in arbitration this winter. For a rich team with little pitching depth, the cost likely isn’t too much for a reliever with previous major league success. Curtiss represents a low-risk, high-reward option.