Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz told Pat Ragazzo of SI FanNation that he believes pending free agent Aaron Judge would be a “perfect” fit for the Mets.
Ortiz, known as Big Papi, is currently working as a Major League Baseball studio analyst for Fox Sports. “I think the Mets should approach (Judge),” Ortiz said. “If I’m the Mets, I would give him $50 million for the next 5-6 years.”
As we’ve noted several times in different articles, one focus offensively for the Mets this offseason should be adding power, and getting the player that just set with American League home run record would certainly achieve that.
Judge, 30, led MLB in runs scored (133), home runs (62), WAR (10.6), OBP (.425), SLG (.686), and OPS+ (211). He also tied Mets slugger Pete Alonso for the MLB lead in RBIs with 131. Judge now has a career .284/.394/.583 slash line with 220 home runs in 729 games with the Yankees.
“(Judge) would be perfect for the Mets because he’d be hitting second in that lineup, and he can play all three outfield spots,” Ortiz said.
The Yankees outfielder added two more home runs in New York’s series win over the Guardians in the Division Series. Judge started this year by turning down a seven-year, $213.5 million contract extension from the Yankees that now looks like a great move for him.
One of the Mets’ best players from 2022 and recent seasons, Brandon Nimmo, is also scheduled to be a free agent this offseason. Nimmo, 29, went on to post a 5.0 bWAR in 2022 as he posted a career-high in runs scored (102), doubles (30), and RBIs (64), and tied for the league lead with seven triples. His 130 OPS+ for 2022 was the exact same number he’s had for the entirety of his career. Of course, the big change for Nimmo in recent seasons has been his transformation to a strong defensive center fielder.
Outside of Nimmo and Judge, the free agent market for players that have played center field is weak and the outfield market itself is certainly not going to be enticing for teams in need. As for power or simply good offensive players, the free agent market as a whole this offseason is weak beyond Nimmo and Judge as well.
Unless the Mets make a trade or do something out of the box, you have to imagine they will be a strong player in the outfield market that Judge and Nimmo lead by a wide margin.
