We heard on Wednesday that the Mets had interest in infielder Pablo Sandoval before he signed with the Giants. That got me to wondering what was left on the market in terms of infield depth.

Without assuming  Yoenis Cespedes is healthy, the Mets bench right now would likely be catcher Tomas Nido, outfielder Jake Marisnick, IF/OF Dominic Smith, infielder Luis Guillorme, and banged up veteran Jed Lowrie.

The bizarre health situation of Lowrie could be exactly why the Mets looked at Sandoval and might want to sign someone else. Lowrie was finally activated in September after dealing with knee, calf, hamstring, and hip issues since the start of Spring Training. Even then, the Mets never played Lowrie in the field and only had him take eight plate appearances.

Just eight days ago, Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen said they were pleased with Lowrie’s progress physically and optimistic that Jed would participate in a “meaningful way” this spring. Meaning, Lowrie wasn’t 100% when the Mets activated him last season. Who knows what to expect from Lowrie in 2020, his final season of a two-year deal.

Another spot on the bench can be created by optioning Guillorme to the minors. The talented glove-man does have options remaining and has hit .227.303/.297 in 144 big league plate appearances. Though, he did hit .300/.391/.475 in the second half last season.

Bench depth could be key for a team that has no idea what Lowrie is going to give you and your starting second baseman Robinson Cano is 37 years old coming off from a down season.

Let’s take a look at a few veteran infielders still available on the free agent market.

Brock Holt  – SS, 2B, 3B, 1B, RF, CF

The left-handed hitter has posted 109 wRC+ and 103 wRC+ the past two seasons while playing six different positions. Overall, he had three outs above average defensively last year, with second base (4 OAA) being his best spot.

Jason Kipnis – 2B, CF

He was close to being a Mets a few years ago, but his offense has been on a downward spiral. The left-handed hitter has slashed .236/.305/.403 over the last three seasons and hasn’t posted a wRC+ over 100 since 2016. The former All-Star has also struggled defensively in that time span with -14 DRS at second and -4 DRS in center.

Wilmer Flores – 2B, 1B, 3B

Former Met posted a career-high 120 wRC+, though injuries limited him to only 285 plate appearances. His .361 OBP was a career-high and he struck out only 10.9% of the time. He hit .337/.367/.615 against left-handed pitching in 2019 for Arizona.

Logan Forsythe – 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, LF

The former first rounder hasn’t hit much such leaving Tampa in 2016 when he posted a .778 OPS. In 2019 for Texas, he hit .227/.325/.353 in 367 plate appearances. DRS and UZR has him as roughly scratch defender still at second, short, and third base.

Ben Zobrist – P, SS, 2B, LF, RF, 1B

Oh yes, the former All-Star that is 38 years old and coming off a -0.1 WAR season, this has the Mets written all over. The former Mets target, hit .260/.358/.313 in only 176 plate appearances for the Cubs in 2019. Still showed his versatility by playing four positions and even threw a scoreless inning. The switch hitter did post an .817 OPS in 2018.

Brad Miller – SS, RF, 3B, 1B, RF

The former big-time Mariners prospect finished the 2019 season strong with the Phillies, hitting 12 home runs in only 118 at-bats. His sprint speed was still above average and he had a .368 wOBA last year. The left-handed hitters 1.4 WAR was his highest since 2016 with the Rays.

Brian Dozier – 2B

Clearly, Dozier doesn’t have the versatility of the other players on the list, but the Mets showed interest in him last year for what was likely a utility role before signing Lowrie. He hit .238/.340/.430 with 20 doubles and 20 homers last season, though his offense was below league average for the second straight year at 99 wRC+.

Tim Beckham – SS, 2B, 3B, 1B, LF

The former first round pick hit .237/.293/.461 with 21 doubles, 15 homers, and a whopping 102 strikeouts in 304 at-bats last year for the Mariners. Outs above average has him as the one of the worst defenders in baseball for 2018 and 2019, with -11 each season. That includes -7 OAA at shortstop each season.

Conclusion

Holt would be my target here, though he absolutely deserves and will get a major league deal. Miller would be another interesting option as a guy that hit well with the Phillies and was actually decent defensively in several spots.

My guess is the Mets end up signing another veteran to a minor league deal – like they did with Eduardo Nunez recently.