Mets trade for Jose Siri to replace Harrison Bader in outfield

NEW YORK — The Mets have their replacement for Harrison Bader.

The club traded minor league right-hander Eric Orze to the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday for center fielder Jose Siri. A 29-year-old out of the Dominican Republic, Siri profiles similarly to Bader but comes at a reduced cost.

Much like Bader, who recently became a free agent after spending the 2024 season with the Mets, Siri is an elite defender with great range. His +16 Outs Above Average in 2024 ranked him in the 99th percentile and was tied for second among all qualified outfielders. Siri prevented 15 runs for the Rays last season and saved 12 runs above average, and also possesses a strong arm and speed.

While he isn’t exactly known for his bat, he does have some power. Siri hit just .136 with a .620 OPS in 130 games (448 plate appearances) last season, with 18 home runs, 16 doubles, one triple and 31 walks. Over parts of four major league seasons, Siri has hit .210 with a .674 OPS, 54 home runs and 43 home runs (caught stealing seven times).

Siri will hit lower in the order and platoon with Tyrone Taylor, who plays all three outfield positions and overtook Bader for the starting spot late in the season and into the postseason in 2024. Brandon Nimmo is expected to remain in left field and Starling Marte in right with Jeff McNeil seeing time at second base and in the outfield as well. However, the Mets’ pursuit of Juan Soto could change things, especially when it comes to Marte, since Soto prefers to play right field.

Orze was a great story for the Mets. A two-time cancer survivor selected in the shortened Covid draft, he was a highly-ranked prospect in his early professional seasons but stalled in Triple-A. The right-hander made his big-league debut last year but struggled, pitching in only two games and allowing four earned runs over 1 2/3 innings. Still, his splitter is considered a big-league pitch and the Rays are known for their ability to fix pitchers like Orze.

The Mets opted against adding any players from their minor league system to their 40-man roster ahead of the 6 p.m. deadline Tuesday. This will leave two notable pitching prospects exposed in the Rule 5 Draft next month, Mike Vasil and Dom Hamel. The hope was that Vasil and possibly Hamel as well could be ready for rotation spots as soon as 2025 or 2026, but they both struggled to adjust to the ABS challenge system once they reached Triple-A Syracuse. They each made 27 starts last season, but they both turned in ERAs over 6.00 with increased home run and walk rates.

MLB Pipeline ranks Hamel as the Mets’ 15th-best prospect and Vasil as the 18th-best. The Rule 5 Draft will take place at the Winter Meetings in Dallas.

The 40-man roster is currently at 34 players.

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