The Lucas Duda injury coupled with Travis D’Arnaud being already sidelined leaves a gaping hope at the bottom of the Mets lineup. In Tuesday’s loss to Washington, the bottom four of the order were Eric Campbell, Kevin Plawecki, Ty Kelly and the pitcher. You could make the case that those are three AAA bats and the pitcher rounding out the lineup.
The Mets options are limited at the time, but they do have options. Here’s a rundown of what they can do:
Internal options
Eric Campbell and Ty Kelly: This seems to be the current plan, which is also by far the least favorable plan among Mets fans. No matter how hard the advanced metrics say Campbell hits the ball, he’s hitting .198 for the Mets over the last two seasons. Given Kelly’s only major league action is against Stephen Strasburg, he’s deserving of another chance to show what he can do, but even so, he seems better suited for a utility role at best and not an extended look as a starting first baseman.
Wilmer Flores: This seems to be the logical next step in the Mets plan, as Flores could be activated by the weekend and should be a regular in the lineup when he does. However, there are a few issues with playing Flores everyday. First, he’ll need to play third base in 1-2 games a week when David Wright sits, which means the Mets will still have to start Campbell or Kelly on those occasions. Second, he’s only started twice at first base in his major league career. And finally, he just might not be that good of a hitter. Flores has a career OPS of .665 and has yet to show any consistency at the major league level.
Michael Conforto: Of all the internal options, this could be the best. While Conforto hasn’t played first base, the Mets are using guys like Flores and potentially Kelly there, who also have very limited first base experience, so it’s not like Conforto’s lack of experience is that far of a dropoff. Second, putting Conforto at first gets Juan Lagares in the lineup, which will both improve the team’s offense and give them their best possible outfield defense. Even playing Conforto at first base just a few times a week is a good plan.
Neil Walker: For whatever reason, the Mets don’t seem to be seriously considering this option. The idea behind this is that by moving Walker to first base, the Mets can bring up Dilson Herrera to play second base. Herrera would give some youth, speed and excitement to the Mets lineup, and he has the potential to develop into an above-average regular. A possible reason why this isn’t seriously being discussed is that the Mets seem to be very pleased with their current middle infield defense and might not want to risk what a change would do to that.
David Wright: This seems like an inevitable switch for Wright, but with all of the work it takes to get him on the field and how careful they are being with him, it is probably more likely that Wright wouldn’t see time at first base until 2017. Consider this a likely last resort for the 2016 season.
External options
James Loney: This makes sense on so many levels. Loney is playing AAA in the San Diego Padres organization and can opt-out if he gets a major league deal elsewhere. He won’t command much money, and he’s hitting .331 in AAA. Perhaps most importantly, he’s a proven major league hitter who from 2013-15 hit .291 with a .730 OPS for the Rays. The Mets saw last year the impact of replacing AAA hitters on their roster with major league hitters. Finally, Loney is left-handed, which seems to be something the Mets are looking for.
Jonathan Lucroy: This is the home run move, as Lucroy is an All-Star caliber player who checks two boxes by being able to play catcher and first base. He would bolster the Mets lineup and take the team to another level. However, he’s also going to command a hefty return, which the Mets might not be willing to do with Duda and d’Arnaud possibly returning. Also, with last year’s Carlos Gomez fiasco with Milwaukee, the Brewers probably aren’t looking to do the Mets any favors. If this happens, it will likely be in late July.
Kelly Johnson: A popular suggestion, as the Mets traded with Atlanta for Johnson last year. He’s a versatile player who hits left-handed and has a proven track record. However, he’s only hitting .225 for the Braves and might be more of a bench bat than everyday first baseman. Johnson seems poised to be traded again, and the Mets will likely be a suitor.
Mike Morse: A free agent right now, Morse could be signed for practically nothing and give the Mets a power bat to play at first base now and bring off the bench later. There’s a question about how much he has left in the tank, but he did hit .275 in 45 games for Pittsburgh last year. Being such a low-risk option, the Mets could potentially sign Loney and Morse to improve their chances of catching lightning in a bottle.
The number of options for the Mets will likely grow as the season moves on and teams start to fall out of the race. For instance, if Toronto collapses, you’ll start hearing impending free agent Edwin Encarnacion as a possibility. But for now, the above players seem like the most logical options at first base for the Mets. Don’t be surprised to see the team try a number of those scenarios until they find something that works.
