Mets add Jose Siri from Rays to replace Harrison Bader in centerfield
Jose Siri’s defense saved runs playing centerfield for the Rays last season, but he only batted .187 and struck out 170 times in 130 games. Credit: Getty Images
The Mets acquired outfielder Jose Siri in a trade with the Rays on Tuesday, the team announced, solidifying their centerfield outlook for 2025 and perhaps beyond with a ready-made replacement for Harrison Bader.
Headed to Tampa Bay in the deal: reliever Eric Orze, a two-time cancer survivor who made it to the majors in 2024, appearing in two games.
That represented a relatively low price for Siri, a glove-way-first 29-year-old with some power potential. He has been a below-average hitter in three full seasons in the majors. In 2024, he batted .187 with a .620 OPS, totaled 18 home runs and 14 steals and struck out 170 times in 130 games.
Siri’s skill set is similar to that of Tyrone Taylor. The Mets intend for them to split time in centerfield next year, much as Bader and Taylor did last season, according to a person familiar with the team’s thinking. Taylor served mostly as the backup outfielder — roving across all three spots as needed — and took over the centerfield job from Bader late in the season.
The appeal for the Mets and president of baseball operations David Stearns, who loves strong defenders (and loves trade): Modern defensive metrics rate Siri as excellent.
He compiled 16 outs above average (in line with his numbers from previous seasons) and 12 defensive runs saved (much higher than years prior) in 2024. He finished tied for second and tied for first, respectively, in those categories among major-league centerfielders.
Bader, now a free agent, had 10 OAA and -2 DRS in his lone season with the Mets.
Siri’s prowess in the field would be particularly relevant and helpful if the Mets play a defensively limited rightfielder — such as, say, Juan Soto, their top free-agent target.
Eligible for arbitration for the first time, Siri is projected to make $2 million to $3 million in 2025, making him significantly cheaper than Bader’s $10.5 million salary last season. And Siri is not due to be a free agent until after the 2027 season.
The Mets are Siri’s sixth organization. Originally a Reds prospect, he has bounced to the Mariners, Giants, Astros, Rays and now Mets in the past five years.
Siri earned attention in 2017 for a 39-game hit streak while in the Reds’ farm system.
The Mets’ other in-house centerfield options include prospects Luisangel Acuna (an infielder who has learned the outfield), Drew Gilbert (who plays all three outfield spots) and Jett Williams (also an infielder who has learned the outfield). The Mets do not consider Williams an option at the outset of 2025.
Trio declines QO
Each of Luis Severino, Pete Alonso and Sean Manaea declined the qualifying offer — a one-year, $21.05 million contract — from the Mets by the 4 p.m. Tuesday deadline.
The Mets remain free to negotiate with those players. If any signs with another club, the Mets will receive an extra draft pick as compensation.
For Manaea and especially Alonso, saying no thank you was a mere formality. They are virtual locks to sign contracts with a far greater financial guarantee.
Severino’s decision was not as obvious when the Mets issued him the qualifying offer early this month. But after he and his agents explored his market the past two weeks, he also opted to bet on himself in search of a multiyear contract.
In a major bounce-back season, Severino stayed healthy and mostly effective all season for the first time since 2018. He pitched to a 3.91 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 31 starts (182 innings) in the regular season. Throughout, he credited the success to taking better care of his body — sleeping more, eating right, sticking to a between-starts physical routine — with the help and encouragement from the Mets’ staff.
Personnel news
The Mets did not make any additions to their 40-man roster ahead of the Rule 5 draft protection deadline. Pitching prospects Mike Vasil and Dom Hamel, both of whom struggled in Triple-A after pitching well in the lower minors, are eligible to be selected by another organization in the Rule 5 draft on Dec. 11.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
