Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that Mickey Callaway has been checking in with first baseman Mike Napoli about his possible interest in playing in New York.

The 36-year-old played for the Cleveland Indians in 2016 when Callaway was on the staff and the two have clearly maintained a strong relationship given these discussions are reportedly occurring.

The Mets have been looking this offseason for a ‘first-base/outfield type’ who can function as a backup plan to Dominic Smith at first base. The names we have heard, have ranged from the likes Carlos Santana and Eric Hosmer to Daniel Nava and Adam Lind.

However, Napoli strikes me as a very interesting candidate. He is a career .246/.346/.475 hitter with 267 home runs in his 12 seasons in the majors.

Last season was one of his worst though. He hit a meager .193/.285/.428, but still managed to hit 29 home runs and drive in 66 runs. He also struck out 163 times in 425 at-bats.

While those numbers are hardly inspiring, the year before he had one of his best seasons as he hit .239/.335/.465 with 34 homers and 101 runs driven in.

So, which one should you trust? Well, one thing to keep in mind is that he had hand surgery earlier this offseason, which could make one wonder whether he may have been playing through that injury for the large portion of the season.

Whether you trust the numbers or not, the next part of the question to answer is if there’s a fit? Well, the Mets could use someone to compete with Smith at a cheap cost and Napoli certainly fits the bill.

Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports projected that Napoli will receive a one-year deal worth $6 million. The expert’s pick in the same article has Napoli eventually getting a one-year, $7 million deal. In that regard, he definitely fits.

In terms of competing with Smith, Napoli gives the Mets a legitimate competitor to take the job from Smith or a right-handed hitting platoon partner so they can evaluate Smith at the major-league level.

However, his most important contribution to the team could be in the form of leadership. As Sherman notes in the article, he is one of the most well-respected players in the game and has been admired on every team he plays for.

Considering the Mets traded away many of their clubhouse leaders at this year’s past trade deadline, having a player with such rave reviews in terms of clubhouse presence could prove crucial to this team’s ability to succeed next season.

While this need could be addressed in other ways, it doesn’t hurt Napoli’s case that he can ‘kill two birds with one stone’ by playing first base for this team as well.

He might not be the perfect acquisition, but he is definitely someone the Mets should keep tabs on as he might make sense as the offseason progresses.