Mets agree to minor league deals with Joey Meneses and Hobie Harris

Mets agree with first baseman Joey Meneses and pitcher Hobie Harris on minor league deals. The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported (Link X) on the Meneses deal, and MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reported on Harris’ addition (Link X). Meneses is a client of the MAS+ agency; Harris is repped by Gaeta Sports Management.

Both players are former national players. Meneses, 32, spent two and a half seasons in Washington. He was a monster in limited sample time as a rookie in 2022, hitting .324/.367/.563 in 56 games. The rebuilding Nats gave him two seasons to see if he could pull off that amazing debut, but he never maintained anything close to that form. In ’23, Meneses was about an average hitter in the league, hitting .275/.321/.401 with 13 homers in 154 at-bats. His numbers took a nosedive again this year as he finished with a .231/.291/.302 line and three home runs in 313 plate appearances.

The Nats waived Meneses at the end of the season. He opted for minor league free agency after going unclaimed. He will need to earn his way back to the big leagues. Meneses will compete for right-handed bench jobs. Mark Vientos will block one corner spot of the infield. This could happen at first base if the Mets allow it. Pete Alonso walk. Vientos could return to the hot corner if the Mets re-sign Alonso. Jesse Winker also hit free agency, so there could be a path to some players at designated hitter depending on how the offseason pans out.

Harris, 31, has limited major league experience. He played 16 games for the Nats in 2023, allowing 12 runs in 19 1/3 innings. Harris issued 13 walks and managed just nine strikeouts in that short period. The Pittsburgh product reached Triple-A with the Twins last season. He allowed nearly seven earned runs over nine in 54 1/3 innings. Harris has wrestled in the top classes for several years in a row. However, he can get his fastball up to 94-95 mph and misses an impressive 14.6% of his pitches this year. That was enough for the Mets to bring him on board as minor league bullpen depth.