The Mets, like most teams, have space to add at least one infielder this offseason, especially if the team decides to non-tender Wilmer Flores, which Brodie Van Wagenen alluded to as a possibility citing his lack of versatility in his eyes.

Therefore, the team will likely look to the free agent market to fill the open spot and there are three names that should be considered for this role with one of them already a reported target for the Mets.

1. Marwin Gonzalez

Gonzalez should get plenty of attention this offseason, and the Mets are reportedly interested. In fact, this versatile utility player has sparked interest from 29 of the 30 MLB teams, according to Jon Heyman of Fancred.

Gonzalez, 29, has been viewed as a vital piece to the puzzle for the Houston Astros over the last five seasons as he has proven to be extremely versatile, filling in wherever they have needed him. His best season during that stretch was in 2017 in which he hit .303/.370/.530 with 23 home runs and 90 RBI to give him an elite 144 wRC+ and .907 OPS.

On the defensive side of things, Gonzalez registered -4 DRS, but he did that while logging innings at first base, second base, shortstop, third base, left field, and right field.

All in all, that gave him a 4.0 fWAR, placing him among the top players in the game and which led him to get MVP votes, finishing 19th on the ballot.

However, his strong 2017 season might have been characterized by a high BABIP that rose to .343 that season as his 2018 season numbers were much more in line with his career numbers.

In 2018, Gonzalez hit .247/.324/.409 with 16 home runs and 68 RBI to give him a 104 wRC+ and .733 OPS. While he was still a net positive, the natural shortstop finished with a much-reduced fWAR of 1.6.

Most of his innings came in the outfield where he logged seven defensive runs saved while garnering -3 DRS in the infield, with a personal worst of -5 DRS at shortstop.

That season was much more of what any team signing Gonzalez should expect as he has a career wRC+ of 103 and OPS of .753.

Heyman currently projects his 11th best free agent to receive a four-year, $52 million contract, which he arguably might not be worth it to the Mets considering their plethora of needs and the presence of a couple of cheaper options capable of providing similar production.

2. Daniel Descalso

The utility-infielder represents a very cheap option for the role if the Mets would prefer to go that route, as he is not even ranked among Heyman’s list of 131 free agents.

Descalso, 32, represents a potential value-pickup for the team as he was actually very productive for the Arizona Diamondbacks this past season as he hit .238/.353/.436 with 13 home runs and 57 RBI to give him a 111 wRC+ and .789 OPS.

Defensively, he can play all across the infield with his best position being at the keystone where he had two defensive runs saved in 2018 and his worst position being at shortstop where he had -7 DRS.

However, this season was by far his best to date and he has not been nearly as productive at any other point in his career. His highest wRC+ prior to last season was 90 in 2016 with the Colorado Rockies.

Another feature of Descalso that would not serve in his favor in regards to his chances of joining the Mets is that he is left-handed, making him not an ideal back-up to Jeff McNeil at second.

The Mets are likely looking to acquire someone who can play on a semi-regular basis if McNeil’s stellar start to his career proves to only be that and adding another left-handed hitting infielder would not help, especially considering Descalso has never played in more than 138 games. That would mean he would likely not be a candidate to take over the role from the second-year player entirely if he were to falter.

So, in Descalso’s case, he could very well be the way to go if they choose to go cheap in this regard. That being said, like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, there is always one that is too hot, one that is too cold, and one that is just right.

3. Josh Harrison

That guy is Josh Harrison who, in my eyes, is the happy medium between production and price.

Harrison, 31, has been rumored as a potential Mets target since last offseason when the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Mets tried to reach a deal involving the infielder. However, the Mets balked at the asking price that included Brandon Nimmo.

Obviously, the Mets proved to make the right decision as Nimmo broke out in a big way in 2018 while Harrison battled through injuries and did not perform to his standards.

This offseason, though, the Mets don’t have to give up anything to get him as Harrison had his $10 million contract option declined by the Pirates, thereby making him a free agent.

In 97 games this season, Harrison hit .250/.293/.363 with eight home runs and 37 RBI to give him a 78 wRC+ and .656 OPS.

Meanwhile, in the field, Harrison played almost all of his innings at second base this year in which he recorded -2 DRS and a -2.1 UZR.

However, in the past, Harrison moved around the diamond quite a bit and 2017 was one of the better years of his career.

Harrison logged innings at second, third, and the outfield that year in which he had a combined total of seven defensive runs saved.

That year he also hit .272/.339/.432 with 16 home runs and 47 RBI to give himself a 104 wRC+, .771 OPS, and 2.6 fWAR. His peak season was also arguably better than that of Gonzalez as he had a 4.8 fWAR at his height as compared to 4.0, albeit his came in 2014.

As compared to Descalso, he actually could serve as a hedge to Jeff McNeil in case he falter. Harrison has a career .279 average against lefties, making him a potential platoon partner again tough lefties who could move around the diamond on his off days.

Heyman projects Harrison’s price to be very reasonable too, as he expects him to command a two-year, $12 million contract this offseason as he ranked him the 47th best free agent.

If the Mets decide to not pursue Manny Machado or Josh Donaldson for the infield this offseason, Harrison, in my opinion, represents the best utility infield option.