Kevin Plawecki retired recently and so too could some more recently employed New York Mets players. Not everyone gets a retirement tour where gifts are presented to them in each city. Sadly, some players end up calling it quits because the phone calls stop coming in.

A minor league deal could always get tossed their way, but after serving more than a decade in Major League Baseball, would they be so willing to ride the bus? For these nomadic ex-Mets, cozying up with an AARP card might be their next step.

1) J.D. Martinez

If J.D. Martinez couldn’t get a better contract offer last winter than the one he got from the Mets in March, what’s he going to receive this time? Martinez was coming off of an awesome 2023 campaign with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Although health concerns lingered, he produced the kind of numbers you’d swear came from a guy who played a full season. With just 113 games and 479 plate appearances, Martinez hammered 33 home runs and drove in 103. He’d settle on a one-year deal with the Mets worth a large portion of the $12 million deferred.

Teams no longer seem equipped or interested to employ an expensive DH-exclusive player. There isn’t a David Ortiz in the league any longer. Martinez was the last of his kind, apparently. Based on how things ended with the Mets in 2024, he could be completely done.

The year’s totals included a .235/.320/.406 slash line with 16 home runs and 69 RBI in just under 500 plate appearances. It was his September slump which featured more than 30 at-bats without a hit that should have teams staying away. Martinez could be viewed as a buy-low option for some ball club. However, with career earnings of over $150 million and just about every personal accomplishment out there he can realistically achieve, spending as much time with his growing family seems awfully tempting.

2) Jake Diekman

Some numbers almost don’t even do Jake Diekman justice. The 38-year-old as of today, January 21, 2025, held batters to a .202 batting average during his time with the Mets last year. It didn’t translate into much success. The .354 OBP and .447 slugging percentage against him show how many batters he walked and how far the ball tended to travel whenever he did actually find a piece of lumber.

Diekman wrapped up his season with the Mets pitching to a 5.63 ERA. Logging 32 innings in 43 appearances, there were many times where he wouldn’t even record a single out. His occasionally nasty stuff resulted in a whopping 11.3 strikeouts per 9 but came at the cost of 6.8 walks per 9 over the same span. What’s more, averaging 2 home runs per 9 made many of those walks far more damaging.

Parts of 13 years as a big league player under his belt, Diekman would theoretically have more incentive to keep playing. He hasn’t made nearly as much money as Martinez nor does he have a World Series ring. In fact, his team’s postseason record is a horrifying 1-5.

Based on Diekman staying away from any new minor league deal after he was released by the Mets in 2024, one can assume he’s not eager to take one now. At the very least, teams don’t view him as a project they can fix.

3) Carlos Carrasco

Slightly more removed from Mets history but by only a year, Carlos Carrasco willingly took a split contract last year from the Cleveland Guardians. He ended up making the Opening Day roster, earning $2 million for the year. It was a huge pay cut from the $14 million he was paid the year before by the Mets on a deal he originally signed as a member of Cleveland.

Carrasco’s best years are far behind him as we witnessed in year one and three as a member of the Mets. Oddly, his 2022 season was a blast from the past with Carrasco going 15-7 with a 3.97 ERA. His other two seasons in New York included lengthy IL stints and ERAs over 6.00. He did lower it to 5.64 last year for the Guardians while making 21 starts before, yet again, the injury bug bit him.

A connection to Carrasco from the past makes it sensible that they, of all teams, might bring him in. Unless they’re going to do it again with Cookie, who turns 38 in March, it’s hard to envision any team using a roster spot of any kind on him. He isn’t going to cut it as a reliever. Could a minor league contract fall his way? It’s only happening if his passion for playing the game continues to call him.

Athletes can have a tough time knowing when to call it a day. Carrasco’s best years are way behind him. Relax a bit. You beat cancer. Enjoy retired life.