The National League East arms race reached a fever pitch this summer. Three teams were separated by eight games atop the division as the July 30 trade deadline came and went. Three teams are separated by 8.5 games as of Thursday.
With both the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves attempting to chase down the Philadelphia Phillies — and at least clinch a Wild Card berth if they can’t — it is no small matter when a player recently cut by the Braves joins the Mets.
Eddie Rosario, who won the National League Championship Series MVP award as the Braves marched to the 2021 World Series title, has signed a minor league deal with New York. The veteran outfielder elected free agency Sunday after he was designated for assignment by the Braves. The news was first reported by Sports Illustrated’s Pat Ragazzo.
Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images
Even though it’s a minor league contract, Rosario will have a chance to join the Mets when active rosters expand from 26 to 28 on Sept. 1.
Rosario, 32, has 319 major league plate appearances this season with the Braves and Washington Nationals, who waived Rosario on July 3.
The Braves hoped to kindle the magic they found with Rosario three years earlier.
Read more: Braves Bring Back Familiar Face to Outfield as Trade Deadline Nears
His MLB career began in 2015 with the Minnesota Twins. He spent half of the 2021 season with Cleveland prior to the trade to Atlanta. The highlight of his career came that October.
In the 2021 NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Rosario slashed .560/.607/1.040 with three home runs and an OPS of 1.647 in six games. He won the 2021 NLCS Most Valuable Player award.
This past offseason, he signed with the Nationals on a one-year deal but he slashed .183/.226/.329 before being placed on waivers. As a free agent, he was free to sign anywhere — and just like they did in 2021, the Braves had a vacancy in their outfield following a season-ending knee injury to Ronald Acuña Jr.
The Mets’ outfield of Brandon Nimmo, Harrison Bader, and Jesse Winker is basically set. Tyrone Taylor and Ben Gamel are effectively the fourth and fifth outfielders; Taylor hits right-handed while Gamel hits from the left side.
Rosario is eligible to join the Mets this postseason if he can prove his worth at Triple-A Syracuse first. It’s a crowded outfield picture, but the left-handed hitting Rosario could be an under-the-radar pickup for a Mets team intent on reaching the postseason for only the second time since 2016.
Through Thursday, the Mets are 62-59, two games behind Atlanta for the third and final Wild Card berth in the NL. If Rosario can be a part of their resurgence, it would make for a fascinating plot line down the stretch.
