Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports
With Carlos Correa now signing with the Twins, the Mets have to try again to add some thump to their lineup.
“We needed one more thing, and this (Correa) is it,” Cohen said when the team first agreed to their deal with Correa. “This was important… This puts us over the top.”
While the team scored the third-most runs in the National League, they ranked just eighth in the league in home runs and lacked a right-handed complement to Daniel Vogelbach. There are still a few ways for Billy Eppler and company to address this need.
Sign Jurickson Profar
The free agent market has thinned over the past month, but Profar is the top bat still available. While he isn’t a power hitter necessarily, Profar is a switch-hitter and had a solid 11.1% walk rate and a 15.7% strikeout rate while spending most of the 2022 season as the Padres’ lead-off hitter. He also racked up a 111 OPS+, which is the highest he’s recorded over the course of a full season, and posted a career-high 3.1 rWAR. Furthermore, Profar has played every position on the diamond except for catcher in his career, though he’s shown his most defensive prowess in left field. He could be used as a bit of a super-utility man and can bat either at the top or bottom of the lineup.
Sign Andrew McCutchen or Adam Duvall
As explained in our free agent profiles on both players, Duvall and McCutchen have better power numbers than Profar and boast strong track records against left-handed pitching. In addition to playing all three outfield positions, Duvall has experience at both corner-infield positions, and grades as an above-average defender everywhere he’s played in his career. McCutchen would likely be limited to the corner outfield positions, but he could provide rest to Starling Marte, who nursed multiple injuries last year. Both McCutchen and Duvall may have to be platoon players, but they provide the right-handed pop that the team needed last season.
Make a Trade
The Mets have enough prospect capital and major-league-ready talent to make some deals if they choose this route. The trade market for bats has been picking up a little bit lately, and there are still some players that could be moved before opening day. Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds is the most notable candidate, as he’s requested a trade out of Pittsburgh due to the team’s lackluster extension offers. The 27-year-old was an All-Star and received MVP votes in 2021 and while his numbers took a bit of a dip in 2022, he still posted a solid 126 OPS+ for the year. However, the Pirates have a sky-high asking price for the switch-hitting outfielder, as he’s under team control through the end of the 2025 season.
Another player to keep an eye on is Brewers infielder Willy Adames. Milwaukee has already traded Adames’ double-play partner, Kolten Wong, and he likely wouldn’t cost as much as Reynolds. Adames doesn’t draw a ton of walks (7.9% in 2022), but he smacked a career-high 31 homers and drove in 98 runs, and registered a career-best 4.4 rWAR. Adames would have to move away from the shortstop position, but he has the power and defensive prowess that could fortify the lineup.
Stand Pat Until the Summer
The Mets are slated to enter the season with Eduardo Escobar as the starting third baseman, with Luis Guillorme as the backup and Brett Baty waiting in the wings. Even with a rocky first few months of the season, Escobar finished the season with 20 homers and a 106 OPS+. In September, Escobar looked like the player the Mets hoped they were getting, hitting a blistering .321/.385/.596 with eight homers, winning NL Player of the Month honors. Guillorme displayed an ability to play all over the diamond at a high level and chipped in a 101 OPS+. Baty tore up the minor leagues in 2022 and showed flashes of greatness at the major league level before a thumb injury ended his season.
Even if the Mets don’t make another move for a bat, they have enough options where they can afford to stand pat for the time being. There will likely be more bats on the market this summer and it might be best to see what the in-house options can do before making a move.
