A planned six-man rotation will make the New York Mets roster a bit tougher to manage. It means one less reliever on a regular basis. Having a stockpile of arms with minor league options can allow a team to navigate through this. However, the Mets lack players fitting this description on their current roster.

From the projected bullpen for the 2025 season, only Reed Garrett and Dedniel Nunez have remaining minor league options. Griffin Canning and Edwin Diaz can be demoted with player approval without having to pass through waivers. Only a Canning demotion is any bit realistic.

Contained in this same projected bullpen is Jose Butto, Danny Young, and a player who received a new deal early on in the offseason, Sean Reid-Foley. SRF has been a member of the Mets organization for several seasons, even returning after a brief stint in free agency at one point. Out of options and coming off of a good season that featured a long IL stint, he’s a guy the Mets might be more interested in trading than actually holding onto.

Sean Reid-Foley is good depth for the Mets, but his lack of minor league options makes him a better trade candidate

The Mets aren’t about to swap Reid-Foley for anything of great significance. A lifetime 4.10 ERA in 131.2 MLB innings won’t appeal to many teams. Working in Reid-Foley’s favor are the numbers he combined to have over the last two years. A 2.15 ERA over his last 29.1 innings of work plus a spectacular 12.6 strikeouts per 9 helps make him one of those worthwhile gambles.

Of course, the high strikeout numbers came with a load of walks. It was up to 7 per 9 in 2022 and dropped to only 5.8 per 9 last year in a few more tries.

A history of injuries has kept Reid-Foley from being a consistent member of the Mets pitching staff. His 33.1 innings as a rookie starting pitcher back in 2018 for the Toronto Blue Jays is the most of his career. Despite being with the Mets for four full seasons now, he has managed to average only 15 frames per year.

My inner conspiracy theorist noticed how convenient several of his injuries last year seemed to come about. Hurt right before the Opening Day roster crunch, the Mets were able to hold onto him without having to pass him through waivers first. They seem to like him. He likes the Mets. So why trade him?

Reid-Foley is on a split contract for the coming year where he’ll make a different salary on the minor league club versus what he could potentially make during any time spent in the majors. It adds a certain level of protection for him to actually pass through waivers successfully as other teams might not be as interested to pay him the same wage if claimed even if it’s pennies in professional sports terms.

There is a lot Reid-Foley gains by sticking with the Mets through spring training. A showcase of his abilities in March can make him a more viable trade candidate. With a contract better than a typical minor league signing, he was tossed a small bone (the stapes) financially. The Mets are able to protect themselves from possible injuries to other players as well. They navigated much of last offseason and through spring training with multiple depth pieces, understanding not everyone would survive.

The Mets won’t be rushing to trade Reid-Foley anytime soon. But with each addition, and maybe a fantastic spring where he can prove he’s healthy and the strikeout machine he has been, an offer for a team in more need and with room on their roster for him should come calling.