How the Mets can make meaningful changes this offseason

The Mets also have nine players eligible for salary arbitration, with one obvious non-tender candidate in infielder Nick Madrigal, so there are at least 11 players coming off the payroll entering the offseason. Madrigal and Canning were not on the 40-man roster due to season-ending injuries, however, and the Mets will have an issue as 40-man roster rules will create a traffic jam thanks to all of the injured pitchers under team control.

Why the Mets' 40-Man Roster is already very full

For the purpose of this exercise, we are assuming that A.J. Minter picks up his player option for 2026 after missing nearly the entire season due to injury, while the team also picks up its club options on both Drew Smith and Brooks Raley to add them to the big league bullpen. Frankie Montas had an opt-out built into his contract that he also will not exercise after undergoing Tommy John surgery, so here is a breakdown of the players likely to be on the 40-man roster entering the offseason.

As you can see from the table, the Mets will have 36 players accounted for on their 40-man roster, with players in bold expected to miss most or all of the season due to injury. Players in italics are eligible for arbitration, so the Mets have to tender them contracts to keep them on the 40-man roster going forward.

While the Mets were able to open up 40-man roster spots during the season by putting players with long-term injuries on the 60-day injured list, that designation disappears until spring training, so the Mets will have to carry those players on their 40-man roster until the spring. This is an issue for the Mets' roster building since there are only four open spots on the 40-man roster, a figure that should decrease if the Mets are able to retain Alonso and/or Diaz.

This also doesn't account for the possibility of protecting a Rule 5 eligible prospect on the 40-man roster, such as catcher Kevin Parada, who made it to Triple-A Syracuse by the end of last season and is a former first-round pick. If the Mets want to make significant changes to their team, they will need to find ways to create 40-man roster space to do so.

An easy way would be to designate some of the extraneous relievers for assignment, such as Carillo, Hagenman, Pintaro and Waddell. The Mets could then look to retain those players on minor league contracts, but they would run the risk of them seeking better opportunities on the free agent market.

The Mets also could look to do a bit of roster manipulation by non-tendering players who will miss the season, while bringing them back on minor league deals so they can keep rehabbing with the organization without counting against the 40-man roster. Megill may be a prime candidate for this type of situation, while Garrett may be a riskier cut since his track record may influence some teams to take a chance on his rehab if they have the 40-man roster room to keep him there through the winter.

Another move that could happen is if the Mets simply cut Montas to open up a 40-man roster spot. While Montas is hoping to pitch by the end of 2026, the odds of that happening are slim and the Mets are paying him $17 million regardless, while that 40-man roster spot could end up being valuable.

This 40-man roster scenario also makes a consolidation trade a possibility, where the Mets would package multiple players for one more established player at a position of need. The rotation figures to be an obvious area to look for a consolidation deal, where the Mets could use some of their excess young infielders and starting depth to land a front-line starter.