The deadline to tender contracts to players under club control passed Friday night and unsurprisingly, the Mets have chosen to tender contracts to first baseman Pete Alonso, left-handers David Peterson and Joey Lucchesi and right-hander Drew Smith. Vogelbach was among the players the club opted not to tender, joining right-handed relievers Jeff Brigham, Sam Coonrod and infielder Luis Guillorme as free agents.
In addition, the Mets signed outfielder DJ Stewart to a one-year contract.
Vogelbach, a 30-year-old left-handed designated hitter, came to the Mets from the Pittsburgh Pirates ahead of the 2022 trade deadline in a deal for right-handed reliever Colin Holderman. The trade was questioned at the time with Holderman having emerged as a solid bullpen piece, but former general manager Billy Eppler wanted to bring more power and grit to the lineup.
Initially, Vogelbach endeared himself to Mets fans with four home runs in the month following the trade. He also endeared himself to his teammates with a personality as big as his bat. A former travel ball teammate of Francisco Lindor, Vogelbach became a popular fixture in the clubhouse.
But things quickly went south. Vogelbach takes a lot of pitches, something Eppler valued highly, but with that came a lot of called third strikes. In May, former Mets shortstop Jose Reyes infamously posted on X telling him to swing the bat.
