4
2012
Can Jonny Gomes Be A Good Fit For Mets?
An article by 
The Mets need a right-handed power hitter. There’s no doubt about that. The Mets ranked 22nd in baseball in home runs and 23rd in slugging percentage, and that’s with Scott Hairston, who will likely not return next year, in the lineup. Finding (and acquiring) these players will be a difficult task, especially with the Mets budget already limited. Sandy Alderson will likely re-sign David Wright, which will bring the payroll to or even over the $100 million budget, so unless the Mets somehow dump Jason Bay or Johan Santana, they will have to search the free agent bargain bin for what they need.
This season was a major disappointment when it comes to the Mets outfield. Jason Bay didn’t bounce back (if anyone expected him to), Kirk Nieuwenhuis showed promise early but faded towards mid-season, and Lucas Duda made us think about whether he really is an everyday player.At minimum, two new outfielders have to be brought in to right the ship.
One player who would fit perfectly into the Met roster is Jonny Gomes. Gomes, who will be 32 at the end of the month, had a great season in a platoon role for the Oakland A’s this season. In 99 games (333 plate appearances) Gomes hit 18 home runs and had a .262/.377/.491 slash line. He has been a part-time outfielder for most of his career, but has averaged 17 home runs per season since 2005.
Gomes would bring pop to the lineup, as well as the ability to hit left-handed pitching. The Mets as a team had a meager .675 OPS against lefties last season, 26th in the majors. This season, Gomes had a .299/.413/.561 batting line in 196 plate appearances against left-handed pitching. He and Mike Baxter could combine for a very effective platoon role in left field. Combined, they could probably hit close to 25 home runs. They also both have high walk rates and high on-base percentages.
The only concern about Gomes is his range in the field. He has never put up great numbers in either left or right field. However, having the fleet-footed Andres Torres could make Gomes’ defense bearable, like Carlos Beltran did when he was a Met.
Gomes would definitely be in the Mets price range. Last offseason, he signed a one-year deal worth about $1 million coming off a down season. He will be looking for a multi-year deal this winter, but will be much cheaper than most of the other options out there. If I were Sandy Alderson, I’d get on the phone right now with Gomes because there’s no better fit in the free agent market right now than him.
About the Author: Connor O'Brien
I am a very young, but passionate Mets fan who has blogged about the Mets for three years. I hope you all enjoy the unique perspective that a fan like me can bring to the table. More about me... favorite Met- Johan Santana... favorite food- Citi Field burgers and hot dogs!... favorite musician- Mos Def... favorite Mets moment- the no-hitter of course, but I also attended Game 1 of the 2006 NLDS as well as Johan's three-hit shutout in late September 2008. Follow me on Twitter @UpAlongFirst
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I could live with Gomes.
Would be a good alternative in case Scott Hairston has priced himself out of the Mets’ plans.
This a no-brainer considering this low-ball, no money ball team we have. Even if we had the money for free agents, I doubt any would want to play for this team and this general manager. Isn’t it funny that Citi Field was beat for pitching and defense, and that we just saw the Giants win their second world series in three years with pitching and defense in a similar park? I think they hit only 31 home runs in their park all year. And yet we have a GM who may have constructed one of the worst defensive Mets teams I have ever seen. The worst part? We are not even strong defensively up the middle aside from Tejada and they couldn’t care less. I mention this because as much as we need Gomes’ offense he sucks at defense and he’ll be even worse in the toughest right field in the majors at Citi Field.
“We are not even strong defensively up the middle aside from Tejada and they couldn’t care less”
My Infield Up the middle defense
SS-Reyes
2B – Tejada
C – Thole with Pudge as a backup/mentor
Sandy’s Up the middle defense
SS – Tejada
2B – Murphy
C – Thole with Mike Nikeaus as a backup/mentor
…and this is fully knowing that we have no real SS or 2B prospects on the horizon
I’m not sure about a no-brainer but it does have merits. Power is needed. I see that you slated Gomes into Left with Baxter does this mean you are sliding Bay into right or do you think he is on the bench?
I think (and hope) that he’d be on the bench or not on the team at all
Gomes was used pretty much versus LH starters. So for Oakland he wasn’t an everyday player or everyday DH.
To me, he’s not worth looking into unless Bay was not on the Mets. Because he’d be a LF and right now the issue for the Mets is not LF.
Gomes would simply create a 3rd platoon option in LF with Bay/Duda and not solve RF.
Gomes would be a replacement for Hairston. We should sign the cheaper of the two.
No way, he’s not the answer at all. He isn’t that good and I dont see him as much of an upgrade.
The over rsating of anybody in a Met jersey has no ends. To tell us that Gomes’ inability to field will be compensated by the fleet of foot Torres is just proof of your lack of baseball knowledge. If they all got great by wearing a Met jersey the team would contend every year. torres is a horrid player and his speed is decreasing by the day as guess what, he’s over the hill, and wasn’t very good ever.
The Mets are going to lose for quite a while and there is no reason to lose with older players. They should give Santana away for whatever they can get. They must release Bay and eath the contract, a la Ollie and Castillo. If they don’t do this, then we know they are not trying and they are delusional.
They should do anything they can to acquire a top catcher, not a 33 year old retread, not guys like Shoppach, or Oliva, a young catcher with Weiters potential.
If the guy D’Arnaud is available from Toronto, get him, give them Dickey, Duda, Murphy, Mejia, anything. The first thing all teams need is a top catcher and there are no exceptions. With Niese, Harvey, Gee and perhaps Wheeler (no one knows if he will be good here until he is here) they don’t need Dickey (who I absolutely love and would be sad to lose), if they can get that stud catcher. Once they get the top catcher, other positions can fill in much more easily and the pitching staff will improve without acquiring pitching. If they go with Thole again, I may not follow them, he is not a major league catcher.
Gomes is better than what we have, but I would keep Hairston if economically feasible, he runs, throws and hits better than Gomes. Time to bring up anyone they have in the minors and lose with them as they gain invaluable experience and we see what they actually are all about
“anything they can”
I would look to drafting and grooming a catcher first…
Most teams dont have 1 good catcher in their system, much less 2…
Nowadays Great Catchers who can give both offense and defense in MLB are like great Centers who can give both offense and defense in the NBA
There is no way…repeat…there is NO WAY….you win…with a weak defensive catcher….
People said Piazza was weak defensively…in 1999 he was ranked #1 in the NL in fielding percentage. From 1998-2000, in 3 seasons Mike had fewer passed balls than Thole did in 2012. Piazza’s achillees heel was in throwing out runners. Which is a big one considering how much it affects a pitcher, infield defense, outfield defense, etc
No team is going to trade a catcher who is in their prime. The reason the Dodgers traded Piazza was because they got back Charles Johnson…who at the time had the gold glove on lock in the NL, Charles was going to be a free-agent soon, so they traded him to the Mets in a 3 way trade for Todd Hundley, who failed as a RF….They also had a top-ranked catcher waiting in the wings named Paul LoDuca…
Moral of the story here is…
No sane team trades a top catcher without either a top catcher in the wings, or one coming back in the trade
The only reason we got Piazza was because we could afford to give him that extension that Florida couldn’t
If Florida could’ve afforded Piazza, they would’ve kept him.
There’s no way Toronto is trading d’Arnaud.
Apparently all the mediocre Mets prospects are untouchable, but all the other team’s top prospects are there for the plucking. Reality can be a bitch sometimes.
I think you are right Matt M, but they do have a nice starting catcher in place and with their lineup and a major upgrade in pitching they can compete. Worth an “overwhelming” offer
I’d platoon him with nieuhenhuis.
I know Sir Gomes will play someplace but I’m shocked at the A’s attitude about him. No player on any team he ever played on had a better hustler.
He’s just the consumate teamwork guy and I wish Andrew Friedman would bring him back to Tampa Bay.