The New York Mets face an offseason filled with questions after another disappointing campaign left them outside the postseason picture. After once again investing heavily in their roster, the club must now determine which pieces can help it return to contention and where it needs to make changes.
The Mets may not plan to overhaul their roster to the same extent they did last winter, but their disappointing finish has made a retooling effort of some kind impossible to avoid.
“Barring a huge surprise, the Mets will not have nearly as much turnover this offseason as they did last year, when Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Edwin Diaz and Jeff McNeil all became former Mets,” Danny Abriano wrote for SNY. “But while upheaval is not expected this time around, New York is very much in retool mode after sinking to 74-88 and missing the postseason for the second straight season.”
This week, one of the first offseason developments following the campaign involved an infielder who has formally left the organization already.
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Mets depth shortstop Vidal Brujan officially elected free agency on Thursday, according to the official transaction tracker, bringing another chapter of his turbulent tenure with the Mets to an end.
Brujan arrived in Queens in January after the Minnesota Twins designated him for assignment. The versatile switch-hitter had already experienced a series of organizational changes, including stops with the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves.
“Brujan bounced around this offseason, landing with the Mets after getting DFAed by the Twins and then the Braves,” Charlie Wright wrote for MLB Trade Rumors. “He met the same fate with New York after falling short of an Opening Day roster spot, but snuck through waivers this time.”
Brujan subsequently earned another opportunity in the majors when franchise shortstop Francisco Lindor was injured, but his place on the roster remained tenuous. The Mets selected his contract in May before designating him for assignment in June and sending him outright to Triple-A Syracuse.
The 28-year-old has shown versatility across the infield, but that flexibility has not yet translated into consistent major-league production.
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Brujan’s departure is a relatively minor roster development compared with the larger decisions facing the Mets. President of baseball operations David Stearns must determine how to improve the team’s depth while addressing the numerous shortcomings that contributed to its second consecutive season without a playoff appearance.
Brujan, meanwhile, will have the opportunity to pursue a new organization and potentially find a clearer path to major-league playing time. His defensive versatility and switch-hitting profile could appeal to a club seeking inexpensive depth, though he will need to produce more consistently to establish himself as a regular big-league option.
For the Mets, the move is another reminder that the offseason roster reset will involve more than headline-grabbing acquisitions. Even depth players must earn their place, and Brujan will now look to continue his career elsewhere.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com