There’s a term that you hear tossed around baseball circles a lot, especially this time of year: Quad-A player. This means someone who is probably better than Triple-A talent but isn’t necessarily cut out for the majors, either. There tends to be subsets of Quad-A players, including but not limited to the defensive whiz who can’t really hit a lick but is phenomenal with the glove, the pitcher whose movement plays on the farm but not under the bright lights, and the corner guy with power.
Jose Rojas
is a corner guy with power in the model of Val Pascucci, Nick Evans, Mike Hessman, and other remnants of the 2008-2013 Mets. Rojas has all the markings of this type: a few seasons of slugging over .500, success in Asia, multiple stints in various latin winter leagues, and limited opportunities and even more limited success on the big stage.
On the surface, this is yet another depth signing, an opportunity to squeeze a little juice out of a player that may not have a ton more to give. But for the Mets, there’s a little more here because of their particular roster construction. While not his primary position, Rojas actually has the second most minor league reps at first base of anyone in camp behind Ryan Clifford, and has one more major league game at first as does the Mets’ probable Opening Day first baseman, Jorge Polanco, with two.
On top of that, Rojas’s 2025 season, spent with the Yankees’ Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre club, was his best in six years. Rojas put up a .287/.379/.599 line with 32 home runs and 105 RBIs while logging time at three infield positions (not shortstop) and the corner outfield spots.
Does any of this add up to a likely spot on the major league roster? No, it doesn’t. In terms of long term solutions, the club would probably want to have Mark Vientos or Brett Baty fill in at first if Polanco can’t cut it or is hurt. Similarly, if the aforementioned Clifford is having a strong year in Syracuse, he would be a candidate to log innings there.
All of that is to say that for Rojas to be an impact player on the roster a lot would have to go wrong, or he would have to have an offensive season the likes of which he’s never had before to force his way onto the roster. Save for that, Rojas is likely to be a quality bat at Triple-A, ready for a brief call up if the need arises.
