MLB Roundup 12/2: Mets sign Trevor May

Trevor May signs with the Mets

It’s been a strange year in ways that we could hardly even imagine, never mind expect. Things throughout our lives have been flipped upside down one after another. So, in a yer like this it’s nice to get little reminders that some things never change. Like, say, for example, me writing something and then having the exact opposite happen within a day or two. We love to see it, don’t we folks?

Anyway, I’m talking about Trevor May, who I wrote up as a potential Red Sox target on Monday. On Tuesday, he agreed to sign with the Mets on a two-year deal worth somewhere around $15 million.

I guess I don’t have too much to say about May the player in this case since I just did a full post on it. That said, this is an interesting move for the Mets, who are under new ownership and have signaled a rare willingness to spend this winter. This isn’t a marquee move, but it will improve the bullpen to be sure. He’ll slot in behind Edwin Díaz to form a potentially dynamic one-two punch in the late innings.

As for the Red Sox, it’s definitely a bit of a shot as May was one of the better relievers on the market and Boston certainly needs late-inning help. On the other hand, there are plenty of other options out there at the moment. They can’t wait too long, but as I wrote in the linked post above there is a case to be made for waiting at this position. May just so happened to be the first off the board.

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Eddie Rosario placed on waivers

Wednesday is the non-tender deadline for teams around the league, and the expectation is that we’re going to see more non-tenders than we’ve gotten used to in the past. We have seen the first domino fall on Tuesday, with Eddie Rosario being placed on waivers by the Twins. The left fielder is projected to make somewhere around $10 million in arbitration this winter, and the Twins reportedly couldn’t find a trade partner. This is a way to see if someone else will pay him the arbitration salary before just non-tendering him.

There’s been a lot of handwringing over this move, and it’s hard to blame people. There is indeed a case for Minnesota moving on from Rosario — they have a prospect in Alex Kirilloff who they are high on to step into that role — but that no one would trade for him at this price speaks volumes about where we are as a league right now. Rosario isn’t a superstar, but he’s been at least 10 percent better than average at the plate in three of the last four years, and was still above average in the other year.

The Red Sox certainly have a hole in the outfield, and Rosario is a left fielder. So there is a potential fit there. And on waivers, only the Rangers and Tigers will have a higher priority. That said, as much as I do like Rosario as a player, I’m at least a little hesitant here about the fit. For one, Rosario is a lefty, as are Andrew Benintendi and Alex Verdugo. This isn’t disqualifying to me, and Rosario hasn’t always carried huge splits, but it’s worth considering. The metrics are also iffy about his defense. I will admit I haven’t watched enough Twins baseball to have a strong opinion on his defense, but it too needs to be considered, especially if this also means Benintendi shifts to center. All of a sudden there is potential for a rough defensive outfield.

Now, if they know they can find a trade partner for Benintendi and re-sign Jackie Bradley Jr., the fit issues are less of a concern to me, at least regarding the defensive part of this. But even then, unless you’re getting a decent package back I’m not sure it’s worth it to go from Benintendi to Rosario. The latter is the better player, but if the team isn’t going to spend a ton then the salary raise may not be worth it, nor would the lack of control after 2021 for a team that is ostensibly not a contender.