Mets reach ridiculous heights by adding 2 more former Yankees in quiet transactions

The New York Yankees and New York Mets have taken divergent paths this offseason. The Yankees were mostly content to run it back with the horses who got them to the playoffs, but failed to get over the hump. After a disappointing, playoff-less 2025 that followed a lot of Juan Soto-related smack talk, the Mets have overhauled their ball club, saying goodbye to many franchise stalwarts in the process.

An overlooked part of the Mets' revamp is just how often they've looked to their big brother in the Bronx for talent. The surprisingly antagonistic Luke Weaver and dismal Devin Williams were the high-profile pinstriped defections to Queens, but they were far from the only moves.

Anderson Severino and Nick Burdi were a pair of former Yankee arms little brother came up with while dumpster diving. Scranton legend Jose Rojas is also trying to make his mark in camp with the Mets this spring.

And now, with spring training underway, David Stearns' tinkering has continued. A few days ago, the Mets claimed former Yankees backstop Ben Rortvedt off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers. With no time to rest, they then inked Mike Tauchman to a minor league deal.

Mets' obsession with Yankees continues with Ben Rortvedt and Mike Tauchman heading to Queens

Rortvedt has been well-traveled this offseason. He briefly stepped into the spotlight with the Dodgers during the playoffs while superstar catcher Will Smith was on the shelf and youngster Dalton Rushing struggled. However, once the offseason rolled around, they cut ties, allowing him to land with the Cincinnati Reds. That was short-lived, and when the Reds cut him loose LA snapped him back up (only to let him go again). The 28-year-old is a strong defender, but with a career .190/.279/.270 line, he's unplayable for long stretches of time. He's also out of options, making his chances at long-term security slim.

Tauchman's Yankees tenure was more memorable. A Colorado Rockies cast-off, he came out of nowhere in 2019 to hit .277/.361/.504 as the Yankees' fourth outfielder, posting 3.0 fWAR over 87 games. The bottom quickly fell out, though, with a .648 OPS in 2020. He was then traded in April of 2021 to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for Wandy Peralta.

Since leaving New York, Tauchman has established himself as a decent platoon option in the corner outfield spots, but entering his age-35 season, it's unclear how much he can really offer at this point.

One thing is clear: if you have a pulse and have ever been connected to the Yankees, the New York Mets want you. It's a phenomenon that's been going on for years, and it's kicked up in intensity heading into 2026. We don't quite understand it, but we'll enjoy the laughs.