MLB analyst contemplates what the Mets should do $1,500,000 DH Daniel Vogelbach - "He won't be expensive to retain"
The New York Mets have a ton of questions to answer in the offseason. They are coming off a disastrous year that saw them completely sell at the trade deadline and part ways with manager Buck Showalter after the season ended.
They finished 75-87, placing fourth in the National League East. They were 29 games behind the red-hot Atlanta Braves and nine games from a wild-card spot.
Looking toward the future, the Amazins have to put the pieces together. One of these pieces could be designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach. While he struggled last season, the team could hope for a bounce-back year.
"He won't be hard to retain," SNY TV producer Danny Abriano said.
Abriano believes they could benefit by keeping Vogelbach around. Vogelbach earned $1.5 million last season and is arbitration-eligible for the 2024 season. This means that he will not cost the team too much money if the Mets choose to have him return.
Vogelbach's presence in the lineup was something former general manager Billy Eppler and Buck Showalter clashed on. News surrounding this situation came to light just recently.
The friction likely led to Showalter's dismissal. A successful team cannot have a general manager and manager fighting over a player's playing time.
The New York Mets could let Daniel Vogelbach go
There is no hiding Daniel Vogelbach's struggles with the New York Mets this season. In 104 games, he slashed .233/339/.404 with 13 home runs and 48 RBIs.
That is not the type of production a team wants to see from its designated hitter. Vogelbach has only hit over 20 home runs one time in his career, and he did that during the 2019 season with the Seattle Mariners.
It got so frustrating for Vogelbach this season that he was given a few days off during one of his slumps. The Amazins need to decide if this is somebody who will help the team next year.
However, this is not the only decision the team has to make in the offseason. They have to find a new manager and general manager. Newly hired president of baseball operations David Stearns will have his hands full.
It will be interesting to see what this team does over the offseason. The front office has a ton of pressure to make this team relevant again.