Mets add Jose Siri from Rays to replace Harrison Bader in centerfield
Jose Siri #22 of the Tampa Bay Rays at looks on while bat against the Boston Red Sox during the second inning at Fenway Park on September 28, 2024 in Boston. Credit: Getty Images
The Mets acquired outfielder Jose Siri in a trade with the Rays on Tuesday, 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, but he also 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.
Modern defensive metrics rate Siri as excellent. He had 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.
The Mets are Siri’s sixth organization. Originally a Reds prospect, he has bounced to the Mariners, Giants, Astros, Rays and now Mets over the past five years.
Siri earned attention in 2017 for a 39-game hit streak while in the Reds’ farm system.
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.
