Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Coming off one of the best seasons we have seen from a closer in Mets history, it’s no surprise Edwin Díaz was ranked number one on MLB Network’s list of the top relief pitchers in baseball right now.

.@MLBNetwork's Top 10 Right Now rollout starts with relievers.

What does your list look like? pic.twitter.com/dROMxM7xxr

— MLB (@MLB) January 11, 2023

Díaz headed up the list, followed by Emmanuel Clase of the Guardians and Milwaukee’s Devin Williams.

Dominant was an understatement for Díaz in 2022. Racking up an All-Star appearance and finishing 9th in NL Cy Young voting, Díaz’ 100+ mph fastball and devastating slider had batters whiffing all season long.

Díaz posted just a 1.31 ERA in 62 appearances, while recording 32 saves and striking out 118 of the 235 batters he faced. Díaz’ advanced stats were off the charts as well, he posted 17.1 K/9, 0.839 WHIP and just 4.9 H/9.

Beyond the stats and success on the mound, Díaz brought an unparalleled fan experience to Citi Field every time he entered the game. Timmy Trumpet playing his song “Narcos” live at the stadium will be one of the best memories of the 2022 season for fans, but it certainly wasn’t the only memory Díaz made along the way last season.

Díaz also closed out the second no hitter in Mets history against the Phillies on April 29th, finishing off an incredible team effort from Tylor Megill, Drew Smith, Joely Rodriguez and Seth Lugo.

It might seem like a distant memory to many Mets fans, but Díaz wasn’t always the dominant force he is now in New York. In 2019, Díaz’ first season in Queens, he struggled to adjust to playing in New York. With a 5.59 ERA and 15 homers allowed, it looked bleak for the then-25-year-old coming off a dominant season in Seattle. Showing his work ethic and mental toughness, Díaz overcame those initial struggles and now is one of New York’s most beloved athletes.

Looking forward to 2023, the Metswill bring back set-up man Adam Ottavino and also added veteran reliever David Robertson to help set the table for Díaz. Coming off 32 saves in 2021 and 2022, Díaz has shown continual improvement during his time as a Met, and will look to continue his reign as baseball’s best closer.

The post Díaz Named MLB Network’s Top Reliever Right Now appeared first on Metsmerized.

Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets officially signed five players to minor league deals on Friday. Three are returning to Queens with major league experience for the Mets.

Here’s a quick rundown of the most recent additions.

Tommy Hunter

Hunter returns on a minor league deal with an invite to spring training, and he brings a wealth of experience back to Queens.

The 36-year-old has spent the last two seasons with the Mets and has been a reliable option out of the ‘pen when needed. In 30 1/3 innings pitched with the Mets in 22 games, Hunter has a 1.78 ERA with 28 strikeouts.

A fan favorite and great interview subject, Hunter might not start out on the Opening Day roster but his experience makes him a candidate to appear in the bullpen in 2023 as needed.

José Peraza

Another familiar face for Mets fans, Peraza was part of the beloved Bench Mob of 2021 and logged significant innings at second and third base while the team dealt with a rash of injuries.

After spending 2022 with the Red Sox organization, exclusively in the minor leagues, Peraza has signed with the Mets on a minor league deal with an invite to spring training.

Peraza is just 28-years-old but has a significant amount of big-league experience after debuting in at 21 with the Dodgers. 2018 was Peraza’s best year with the Reds, hitting .288/.326/.416 with 14 HR and 58 RBI. Since then his performance at the plate has declined and in ’21 as a Met he hit just .204/.266/.380 in 154 PA.

While Peraza may struggle at the plate, his defensive versatility makes him valuable from a depth perspective. Should the Mets deal with injury, Peraza can fill almost anywhere on the diamond.

Sean Reid-Foley

Met fans may remember Reid-Foley mostly due to his unique stance where he squats low to the ground to get the signals before rising up to pitch.

Once a top prospect in the Blue Jays organization, Reid-Foley has appeared in five big league seasons totaling just over 100 innings pitched. His career has been a bit of a roller coaster and he’s got good stuff but has not been able to put it together consistently.

Sporting a 5.40 career ERA at 27-years-old, SRF will have a chance to put it together with the Mets minor league organization. Reid-Foley had Tommy John surgery in May this year.

Jimmy Yacabonis

Another reliever thrown in the mix, Yacabonis has earned an invite to spring training and will compete in a suddenly-crowded bullpen.

A 30-year-old with some starting experience, Yacabonis has made major league appearances for the Orioles, Mariners, Marlins and Rays. Yacabonis has not been able to make it work on the diamond. In 118 innings pitched, Yacabonis has given up 131 hits, 79 earned runs and 23 homers, good for a career ERA of 6.03 and WAR of -0.6.

Abraham Almonte

The Mets needed outfield depth and found a candidate to help in that department with Almonte.

A 33-year-old with 10 years of big league experience, Almonte has spent most of his career in center or left field and should have the opportunity to contribute for the Mets at some point in the 2023 season.

In 2021, he played significantly for the Braves but last season he appeared in just 15 games for the Red Sox. For his career, he has hit .235/.302/.374 and while the Mets hope they don’t need a replacement in the outfield, it’s good to have a veteran presence in case injuries happen.

The post Mets Sign Five to Minor League Deals appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Mets continue to pile up pitchers with the addition of former Brave William Woods off waivers. With Friday’s additions of Elieser Hernandez, Jeff Brigham, and Woods, the Mets 40-man roster is now at 35 players.

Woods, a fastball/slider reliever, made his MLB debut last season, pitching just two innings. Woods allowed two hits, no runs and struck out two in his brief major league action.

This is an intriguing pick-up because Woods is just 23 years old with minor league options and has the potential to immediately help a Met bullpen that struggled down the stretch last season.

A 6’3″ righty, Woods was drafted in 2018 at 19 years old after one season at Dyersburg State Community College in Dyersburg, TN. The Tennessee native has been used as both a starter and reliever in the minors, pitching to a 4.60 ERA in four minor league seasons with 9.4 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in 107 2/3 innings.

Most recently Woods pitched in the Arizona Fall League and struggled mightily in just 12 1/3 innings pitched, giving up 19 hits, 12 runs and three homers.

At the time the Braves DFA’d Woods, he was ranked as their 25th-best prospect by MLB Pipeline, who reports that his fastball has touched 99 mph. MLB Pipeline on the rest of his pitch arsenal, “He has a power slider that might eventually be an above-average swing-and-miss pitch and a firm changeup that’s clearly his third pitch, but has the chance to be usable.”

Adding options to the bullpen seems to be a priority early in the offseason for the Mets, and that should be encouraging with a large portion of their quality relievers from 2022 on the free agent market currently.

The post Mets Claim RHP William Woods appeared first on Metsmerized.

USA TODAY Sports

Seth Lugo has been a New York Met for all seven years of his MLB career. During that time he has appeared in 275 games and he’s taken on just about every role a pitcher can have.

Will Sammon of The Athletic notes he might have the chance to move back to a role he prefers: starting pitcher.

Early in his major league career Lugo found success as a starter, pitching to a 2.67 ERA in 2016 (his rookie season) while making 7 starts and totaling 64 innings pitched. Seth was a big part of the Mets’ rotation again in 2017, starting 17 games and pitching a career-high 101 1/3 innings, but injury concerns led him to miss significant time and he was relegated to the bullpen.

Since then, Lugo has mostly been used as an effective set-up man. Injuries forced Seth into a starter role for part of 2020, but he put up less than stellar results and has been most effective as a reliever for the bulk of his time in Queens.

In 2018, Lugo made it clear what his desired role would be in an interview with SNY, saying “I think about the future, hopefully getting to that starting role I want to be in, I think I can maintain better stuff than I have in the past. I’m kind of excited to see what the future holds. Hopefully I can win a starting position sometime.”

Now, five years and one surgery to remove a bone spur later, Lugo might have the chance to be a starter again, but it likely won’t be in New York.

It had been reported that the Mets hadn’t begun talks with Seth, and now we might know why. If he gets the chance to start, and gets starter money, he will likely opt to sign elsewhere.

The post Seth Lugo Drawing Interest as Starting Pitcher appeared first on Metsmerized.

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

We’re officially in the thick of free agency and MLB Trade Rumors has released their list of top 50 free agents, with projections for each player’s new team and contract.

The Mets are involved with several of the top available players. Here’s a quick breakdown of the guys MLBTR expects the Mets to sign, and where they expect current Mets free agents to sign. Their panel of four experts each made a prediction for each player, so the teams listed below represent a majority of those picks if there was one.

Carlos Rodon – Prediction: Mets, 5 years/$140M

Rodón’s roller-coaster career has reached a high point at an optimal time for the former first-round draft pick.

After dazzling on just a 1-year, $3M deal with the White Sox in 2021, Rodón signed a 2-year, $44M contract with the Giants last off-season. He opted out of the second year, making him one of the top arms available during this free agency cycle.

Two of MLBTR’s four experts project Rodón will sign with the Mets. If he does, Met fans will hope he continues his current trajectory. At just 30-years-old, Rodón could be a big part of the rotation for years to come. It’s already been reported that the Mets have interest in Rodón.

Jacob deGrom – Prediction: Rangers, 3 years/$135M

DeGrom’s opt-out was a surprise to no one, as he stated ever since spring training he would be testing free agency after the season. Injuries and inconsistency marred what could have been a magical 2022 for deGrom, who looked as good as he ever had when he was healthy.

Whether deGrom returns to New York or not, one has to wonder how much the 34-year-old has left in the tank. DeGrom and the Rangers have already reached out to each other to talk. The team that signs deGrom has to ask itself: is making a nine-figure commitment worth it to find out?

Brandon Nimmo – Prediction: Mets, 5 years/$110M

Nimmo has become one of the faces of the franchise for the Mets, but now there is a real possibility he could suit up in a different jersey for the first time in his major league career.

His consistency at the plate and in the field over the past few years now sets him up for a big payday as one of the top free agents this off-season. The Mets have stated Nimmo is a top priority and while MLBTR also lists the Astros and Giants as potential landing spots, the most popular belief is that the longtime Met stays in Queens.

Chris Bassitt – Prediction: Twins, 3 years/$60M

Chris Bassitt pitched a career-high 181 2/3 innings for the 2022 Mets and provided big outings on a consistent basis. When the ’23 season starts Bassitt will be 34-years-old, so the question becomes: which team will take a chance that he can continue pitching at a high level for multiple seasons?

While MLBTR’s projections had Bassitt signing with the Twins, it seems there could be a large market for his services.

It’s worth noting that this list features three of the Mets’ main five starters from last season and they are all projected to sign elsewhere.

Taijuan Walker – Prediction: Padres, 4 years/$62M

The third member of the aforementioned rotation free agents is Taijuan Walker. At just 30-years-old, Walker could have his best baseball ahead of him despite having been in the league for at least part of ten seasons.

Walker showed flashes of brilliance early in 2021 and then hit a wall as his inning count ballooned that season. 2022 saw more consistency from Taijuan and he proved he can be a solid part of someone’s rotation.

Andrew Heaney – Prediction: Mets, 3 years/$42M

Heaney has shown flashes of brilliance in his 9-year career, but he’s also been unable to stay on the field. For Met fans who don’t know Heaney, he’s a “poor man’s” deGrom, having posted k/9 rates over 10 on a consistent basis, even putting up 13.6 in 2022, but he has also only pitched over 130 innings one time, and over 100 innings in just three seasons.

If Heaney can stay healthy, whichever team signs him will get a steal, but that’s a big “if” and his projected contract reflects the risk. The Mets have already reportedly shown interest in the left-hander.

David Robertson – Prediction: Mets, 2 years/$16M

The Mets experienced significant bullpen woes in 2022 and Robertson was a popular name around the trade deadline, but the veteran reliever ended up pitching for the Phillies instead.

Now in free agency Robertson is linked to the Mets again and despite the fact that during the second week of the season he will turn 38, David’s presence would be welcomed in Queens as a reliable reliever with a long track record of success.

Adam Ottavino – Prediction: No Consensus, 2 years/$14M

When he’s on, Ottavino has one of the nastiest sliders in the game and we saw a few outings last season where he seemed unhittable. MLBTR is all over the board when projecting where Ottavino might land, but at two-years, $14 million it would make a lot of sense for the Mets to keep him in their ‘pen, even if he’s not the high-leverage guy he was in 2022.

As is the case with any free agent, you can’t count the Mets out with Steve Cohen at the helm. Even though guys like Trea Turner, Aaron Judge and Justin Verlander weren’t included with the Mets in the running, many never would have put Max Scherzer on the Mets’ radar at this time last year so anything can happen.

Stay tuned to MMO for up-to-the-minute and in-depth coverage of free agency!

The post MLBTR: Mets Free Agent Predictions appeared first on Metsmerized.

Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Metsmerized Online’s Michael Mayer reports the Mets could make a serious run at signing offensive weapon Trea Turner.

Turner, a former Washington National who was sent to the Dodgers in 2021, is 29 years old and is one of the best pure hitters in all of baseball and one of the top free agents in this year’s class.

Buzz over the last 24 hours has been that the Mets really like Trea Turner and could make a run at the offensive weapon.

Adding a player like Turner would give the Mets a ton of versatility offensively and defensively.

— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) November 7, 2022

Over his eight-year career, Trea boasts a .302/.355/.478 slash line. Arguably the fastest player in MLB, Turner has led the majors twice in stolen bases, accounting for a total of 230 in his career.

It’s exciting to think about the lineup that adding Turner could create, potentially featuring the two reigning batting title winners (Turner and Jeff McNeil) batting first and second, with Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso to follow. For a team that struggled at the plate down the stretch, Turner would add a legitimate weapon at the plate and create a possible offensive juggernaut in Queens.

In addition to Turner’s prowess at the plate and constant threat on the base paths, his athleticism allows him to play all over the field and he could fill multiple holes on defense. A shortstop by trade, Turner has also played significant time at second base and center field.

Should the Mets decide not to bring back Brandon Nimmo, Turner could fill the void in center. If Nimmo does return to Queens and Turner is signed as well, then the Mets will have a surplus of talented players to fill out the defense and DH roles.

With Turner at second base, McNeil can move to left field and allow Mark Canha to DH, or McNeil can slide into the DH role and leave Canha in left field. Either way, after seeing the team go cold when Starling Marte went down it’s not hard to see why the Mets would rather have too many than not enough solid bats.

Time will tell how serious the Mets are about bringing in Turner, but if the splash signing of Edwin Díaz yesterday is any indication of how the off-season will go then we should not count them out of any free agent conversation.

The post Mayer: Mets Could Make Run at Trea Turner appeared first on Metsmerized.

Grade: B+

2022 Review

Before the 2022 season, Starling Marte had never started an MLB game in right field. In his first season as a Met, he started 116 and was a mainstay of Mets lineups for the first five months of the season in Citi Field’s expansive right corner of the outfield.

Then on September 6, Marte was hit in the hand by a pitch in a game against the Pirates. Initial reports were optimistic, but later it would be discovered that Marte’s right middle finger was fractured. For weeks he couldn’t throw a ball or grip a bat and while Marte was sidelined, the Mets wilted down the stretch.

One has to wonder if that stretch run would have been different with Marte in the lineup. Instead of Marte’s 2022 3.8 bWAR in right field, the Mets started Tyler Naquin‘s -0.1. “What if’s” don’t do any good, but I know the Mets definitely missed Starling for the last month of the season.

Focusing on when Starling was on the field, the Mets have to be pleased with the production Marte brought to the lineup in his first year in Queens. For the second time in his eleven-year career, he was named an All-Star and was very solid as a right fielder for the first time in his career.

Time and time again, Marte’s big arm gunned down runners and held them in their tracks a few times as well. The outfield of Mark Canha, Brandon Nimmo and Marte was a constant and welcome piece of consistency until Marte’s injury.

While Marte put up solid at-bats all year long, hitting .292/.347/.468, it does seem he lost a step as a base-stealer. Coming off a 2021 season that saw Starling lead MLB with 47 stolen bases while being caught just 5 times, Marte stole just 18 bases and was caught nine times as a Met. While he was not healthy all season long, it remains to be seen if the can be the speedster on the base paths that he was in 2021.

The other interesting note from Marte’s 2022 season is that the defensive metrics were mixed on his work in right with DRS having him at three and OAA having him at -2.

2023 Outlook

Much of Starling Marte‘s role, at least defensively, depends on what the Mets do, or don’t do, with Brandon Nimmo.

Prior to his time in Queens, Marte was almost exclusively a center fielder. With the right field alterations in Citi Field, it might make more sense to plan on Marte moving back to his old position if the team doesn’t re-sign Nimmo. Many Met fans will tell you the right field adjustments are to make room for Aaron Judge. Having Marte in center and Judge in right would make the Mets outfield one of the best in baseball.

Marte is under contract for three more seasons with the Mets, due $20.75M in each. At the conclusion of this deal, Marte will be 37 years old. It’s every Met fan’s hope that Marte can continue to post high production as he ages, and his performance in 2023 as he rebounds from injury will be indicative of whether he can keep up a high level of play or not.

In 2015, at 34 years old, Curtis Granderson had one of his best seasons and helped the Mets reach the World Series. We’ll be hoping to see history repeat itself with Marte, who will be 34 in 2023.

The post 2022 Mets Report Card: Starling Marte, RF appeared first on Metsmerized.

Edwin Díaz

Position: Closer
Throws: Right
Age: 28 (3/22/1994)

2022 Traditional Stats: 61 G, 32 SV, 62.0 IP, 1.31 ERA, 0.839 WHIP, 3-1 W/L, 118 K, 18 BB
2022 Advanced Stats: 297 ERA+, 50.2 K%, 7.7 BB%, 1.69 xERA, 0.90 FIP, 1.04 xFIP, 3.0 fWAR, 3.2 bWAR

Rundown

Edwin Díaz was the headliner in the trade that brought him to Queens from Seattle after posting an MLB-leading 57 saves in 2018 with the Mariners.

While many focused on whether Robinson Canó could defeat Father Time or if Jarred Kelenic could take the league by storm and live up to his larger-than-life hype, Díaz was the real prize of the deal. His early struggles in Queens didn’t help. Pitching to a 5.59 ERA in 2019, Díaz looked like a shell of himself in New York.

Fast-forward three years, and Díaz has basically washed all the stench of his early struggles away. If it lingers for anyone, those struggles are drowned out by the fact that Díaz has not only returned to his pre-trade form, he has become the unquestioned best closer in all of baseball.

Powered by a routinely 100+ mph fastball and one of the nastiest sliders in the game, and a little magic from Timmy Trumpet, Díaz was absolutely dominant in 2022. The stats speak for themselves. We could discuss the fact that Díaz struck out over half the batters he faced, or his 1.31 ERA, or his 32 saves, the list goes on and on. But Díaz brought something to Queens, to the locker room and to the fanbase that was sorely needed: confidence, swagger and a whole lot of fun.

Ask any Met fan, the trumpets were their favorite part of the game’s presentation. This part of his game can’t be understated in his free agency. SNY leaned into it on the broadcasts, Mr. and Mrs. Met played trumpets and the fans went nuts every time Díaz trotted from the bullpen. And the whole building knew the ballgame was over when Díaz took the mound.

Contract

Díaz played 2022 under his final arbitration contract, a one-year deal worth $10.2 million. His previous two deals had followed the typical arbitration arc at $5.1 million and $7 million in 2020 and ’21, respectively, so this off-season is his first opportunity to be paid what the market will bring. And for the best closer in the game, it will likely bring a lot.

Díaz already was the tenth-highest-paid relief pitcher in all of baseball this year. As a sample of what Díaz’s next contract might bring, the top-paid relief pitchers in 2022 were Liam Hendriks and Aroldis Chapman at $18 million and Kenley Jansen at $16 million. It’s reasonable to assume Díaz’s deal will be in this neighborhood in terms of average annual value.

Spotrac’s Market Value tool estimates Díaz’ next deal to be for four years at a little over $16 million in AAV. With multiple teams rumored to be interested, that number is likely accurate, if not a little low.

Recommendation

The running theme ever since Steve Cohen took over the Mets has been that money isn’t an object and the Mets can spend as much as needed to bring a World Series to Queens.

While there is some truth to that, bringing back Díaz should even be a no-brainer for a cash-strapped team, much less the richest owner in baseball.

Earlier in October, we ranked the priority of free agents the Mets should sign. It featured Jacob deGrom at No. 1 and Díaz at No. 2. While the list was mostly well-received, many Met fans commented and threw their support behind Díaz as the Mets’ top priority to bring back to Queens.

The fans love Díaz, and it’s going to be a hard pill to swallow if he leaves. MMO‘s Michael Mayer reported Steve Cohen wants to lock down Diaz before he even gets a chance to hit free agency. Could four years and $80 million get it done?

The post MMO Free Agent Profile: Edwin Díaz, RP appeared first on Metsmerized.

Player Data: Age: 33 (1/5/1989), B/T: R/R
Primary Stats: 136 G, 542 PA, .240/.295/.430, 20 HR, 69 RBI,
Advanced Stats: 106 wRC+, .281 BABIP, .314 xwOBA, 2.3 fWAR, 1.2 bWAR, 23.8% K%, 7.4% BB%
2022 Salary: $10,000,000

Grade: C+

2022 Review

Eduardo Escobar hit for the cycle on June 6 in an epic, late-night 11-5 victory over the Padres. His triple in the seventh inning to earn the cycle was a no-doubter and was a high point of the young season.

Just 16 days later, Escobar was in a funk so bad that he vowed to “give [the fans] reasons to cheer for me” following a stretch of 3-for-29 at the plate with 12 strikeouts. This summer struggle continued and led to the Mets playing Luis Guillorme at third base more often as Escobar worked through his troubles, and for a short time, it looked like Guillorme might be the better option at third.

Escobar never hit above .220 in any month between May and August, but just as the rest of the Mets’ bats started to cool off heading into September, Escobar woke up.

In his last 30 games of the season, Escobar hit eight homers and slashed .321/.385/.596, and he made good on that promise from June 22, giving Met fans something to cheer for in a big way down the stretch. In a pivotal game against the Marlins on September 28, Eduardo accounted for all five of the Mets runs, including a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning.

Escobar was so good at the end of the regular season that he earned the NL’s Player of the Month honor in September, the first of his career. Escobar then went 3-for-9 with a double and home run in the Mets’ Wild Card loss to the Padres.

While there were certainly high points, and his most recent play was stellar, it’s no secret that Escobar’s first season as the third baseman in Queens was a roller coaster ride.

Unfortunately, the Mets thought Escobar was going to provide more value as a defensive player at third base, but that didn’t happen. Both defensive metrics, outs above average and defensive runs saved had Escobar as subpar with -7 and -11 values respectively. Lack of range was certainly an issue with the veteran infielder that will play the 2023 season at 34 years old.

An oblique injury sidelined Escobar for two weeks in August, which allowed Brett Baty to get his first taste of major league action. This time off also seemed to pave the way for Escobar’s big September. Eduardo was away from the lineup from August 15 to the 27 and made a rehab start in Brooklyn, where he played shortstop; a position he has started 282 games at in his MLB career. Maybe this reset was just what Escobar needed to come back and dominate down the stretch.

In attempting to review Escobar’s entire season, it’s hard to give a clear-cut grade because the lasting impression was so good but the play leading up to it was subpar. If you took the first five months of the season alone, Escobar would have a very poor grade despite becoming just the 11th Met to hit for the cycle. However, Escobar was a solid A down the stretch when the games mattered most.

Since this is the case we’re settling on a C+ for Escobar’s 2022. It’s hard to give the reigning NL Player of the Month anything less despite his summer struggles.

2023 Outlook

Like so many before him, Escobar didn’t find immediate success in New York, but he was able to bounce back in the second half playing an important role in the Mets late season push. Met fans are hopeful that what we saw in September was a sign that Eduardo has found his comfort zone in Queens and will be a big part of the team’s World Series aspirations in 2023.

With big-time prospect Brett Baty taking his first licks in the majors already and pressure continuing to mount for Mets postseason success, we’ll see what Eduardo’s lasting impression as a Met will be next season, for better or worse.

The post 2022 Mets Report Card: Eduardo Escobar, 3B appeared first on Metsmerized.

“We’ll see what happens” were Aaron Judge’s parting words on a quote that made the rounds through the MLB community on Monday afternoon.

Judge, speaking on his upcoming free agency and specifically his desire to return to the Yankees, said: “I’ve been clear about that since I first wore the pinstripes. But we couldn’t get something done before spring training and now I’m a free agent and we’ll see what happens.”

2022 was a career year for Judge, who broke the American League’s home run record with 62 dingers. His batting line of .311/.425/.686 was good for an outstanding 1.111 OPS and 10.6 WAR.

Could the Yankee’s best slugger of this millennium stay in New York but switch leagues? Early betting lines say it’s possible. Per oddschecker.com, the Mets have the best odds to land Judge if he doesn’t return to the Bronx at +300.

With Steve Cohen’s deep pockets, the Mets will be linked to every big free agent, but how likely is it that Aaron Judge suits up in blue and orange next season?

Signing Judge opens a plethora of options in the Mets’ outfield and at DH. Last season Judge played 78 games in center field and 73 in right field. Should Judge end up in the outfield with Starling Marte it likely makes the team less likely to bring back Brandon Nimmo, since both Judge and Marte can play center field.

Judge would add desperately needed power to a Mets lineup that wilted at the plate down the stretch, and if he gets out of the Bronx there is no doubt Cohen and the Mets will try to lure him to Queens.

Judge’s now former teammate Anthony Rizzo believes Judge should be awarded for the season he just had.

“I think that he bet on himself on the biggest stage, in the biggest market and did it with ease…” Rizzo said. “He’s the new gold standard, in my opinion.”

Judge made the last out of the Yankees season, as they were swept 4-0 by the Houston Astros in the ALCS. The Yankees came up short in the postseason throughout Judge’s career. Maybe a change of scenery is needed for him to finally win that World Series.

The post Aaron Judge’s Awaits His Free Agency, and So Do the Mets appeared first on Metsmerized.