Stay or Go: Should Mets retain Daniel Vogelbach for 2024?

Daniel Vogelbach has been a polarizing player during his time with the Mets, especially during the 2023 season.

There were plenty of fans who were unhappy with his regular presence in the lineup, and -- according to one report -- then-Mets manager Buck Showalter butted heads with now-former GM Billy Eppler over Vogelbach, with Eppler wanting him to remain in the lineup. 

One of the reasons there has been so much consternation over Vogelbach is because he's such a one-dimensional player.

And Vogelbach's struggles during the first half of 2023, when he was serving as the long end of a DH platoon, helped torpedo the Mets' season.

With New York having one more year of team control over Vogelbach, should he be retained for 2024?

WHY IT COULD MAKE SENSE TO LET VOGELBACH GO

There really isn't much Vogelbach can provide a team other than solid on-base ability against right-handed pitchers and occasional pop.

He can't play the field, which makes it difficult for a manager to maneuver elsewhere during games and leaves the bench short when Vogelbach isn't starting.

He can't run the bases well, which puts a dent into the value of him reaching base when the ball isn't leaving the park.

He can't hit left-handers, which necessitates pinch-hitting for him during any game he serves as DH when the opposing team brings in a lefty.

For a player like Vogelbach, whose main value comes from his ability to get on base, he needs to hit for much more power than he has been in order to justify being a key cog on a big league roster -- whether it's in a starting or reserve role.

And when it comes to Vogelbach's OBP, it isn't elite. His career OBP is .342, and he reached base at a .339 clip in 2023.

Overall this past season, Vogelbach slashed .233/.339/.404 with 13 home runs in 319 plate appearances over 104 games. But he hit just seven homers over the first four months of the season before mashing six in August -- after the Mets waved the white flag on their season.

Vogelbach's selectivity at the plate can also be a bit much at times, with him often taking very hittable pitches for strikes early in counts and/or ending his at-bats by striking out looking.

WHY IT COULD MAKE SENSE TO KEEP VOGELBACH

Vogelbach earned $1.5 million in 2023 and is arbitration-eligible for the final time entering 2024. That means he won't be expensive to retain if the Mets so choose.

But aside from his affordability, it's hard to find many reasons why the Mets should keep Vogelbach in the fold for next season.

He could potentially serve as mainly a pinch-hitter, but that would seem like a more tenable role if he was a serious power threat or had the ability to play the field.

It's unknown whether Eppler's reported reluctance to allow Showalter to remove Vogelbach from the lineup was him doubling down on trading for him in 2022, his hope that Vogelbach would turn things around, or some combination. And with Eppler no longer with the team, Vogelbach has lost a key ally in the front office.

Either way, what Vogelbach does well is overshadowed in a big way by what he doesn't do well.

VERDICT

The Mets could conceivably tender Vogelbach a contract and then attempt to trade him after, but there's really no reason to.

For a team like the Mets that needs to add a number of starting-caliber position players and rebuild its bench, having Vogelbach on the roster would be an impediment.

It's time to move on.