The New York Mets released Vidal Brujan and Ben Rortvedt during their final cuts, but they'll still be depth pieces.
The New York Mets designated infielder/outfielder Vidal Brujan and catcher Ben Rortvedt for assignment earlier this week, and both players have made it through waivers unclaimed, according to a report from Darragh McDonald of MLBTradeRumors.com via Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.
Both players have the right to elect free agency, but they would have forfeited the money on their current deals, which means they’ll likely to report to Triple-A Syracuse and stick around as depth options, according to McDonald.
Brujan and Rortvedt both came close to making the Mets roster. Brujan seemed to have an inside track after the Mets sent infielder Ronny Mauricio down, but he became surprisingly expendable when shortstop Francisco Lindor made it back to the lineup early after breaking his hamate bone.
The Mets elected to use third baseman Bo Bichette as their de facto backup shortstop early in the season, so Brujan could be in line for a fairly quick call-up if he can hit well at Syracuse. His competition there will be Mauricio, who’s a better hitter, but Brujan offers more positional versatility and is a better defender.
Rortvedt’s situation is comparable, according to McDonald. He was one of multiple backup catchers the Mets brought in as defensive options in case Francisco Alvarez struggled or got hurt in spring training, but Alvarez had a good spring aside from one game in which he was pulled for back tightness. He also showed out with a home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Opening Day that was an absolute bomb, landing in the second deck.
Rortvedt’s path back to Citi Field will be much tougher, however. Luis Torrens is currently the backup catcher, and the new Mets coaching staff was comfortable with Torrens, who was able to fight off some competition to keep his job. Rortvedt also chose a different path from catcher Austin Barnes, who elected to move on after the Mets released him.
There’s also the possibility that the Mets made an arrangement with Rortvedt regarding the lack of a waiver claim before his release given how late he was let go, given that the team can now keep him around as an insurance policy even though he’s out of options.
What makes this especially viable for both players is that the money they’ll make in the minors isn’t that far from the major league minimum, which is $780K this year. The bet is that Brujan will be back before Rortvedt, but the longtime backup catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers is now available if the Mets experience issues behind the plate.