2) Vidal Brujan
The Mets only recently added Vidal Brujan to the organization. Acquired via trade, he’s a .199 hitter in the majors through 645 tries. How could he possibly make the team?
Brujan doesn’t have any of those standout tools that could push him ahead of Arroyo. The only thing he has going for him is added defensive versatility. He has played everywhere but catcher at some point in his career.
Brujan is the kind of player you carry on your roster and never ask to grab a bat. There may be times when he ends up being forced to hit after coming in for defense late in a game.
Unexpectional defensive results, it’s a matter of being capable of playing them rather than doing it well. Consider him this year’s Zack Short who could possibly linger around on the 40-man roster through Opening Day only for the Mets to quickly realize there really isn’t much playing time. A player like Mauricio is capable of forcing his way onto the major league roster at any point with a hot bat. Experienced enough at a couple of positions, Mauricio should be a favorite to receive some extended playing time in the majors at a couple of positions.
The tricky part is beating out Brett Baty. The Mets seem devoted to giving him playing time wherever they can, but not so much with Mauricio. If just about anyone other than Francisco Lindor misses time, Baty is a solution. Even Lindor has Bo Bichette to potentially take his place.
Brujan over Mauricio would be an unsatisfactory decision. We know to expect at least one curious Opening Day roster choice. This one has a purpose even if it’s not the best one.